Shut Up And Take My Hand
by WalkingCatastrophe
Summary: Gilbert was not looking for love. Neither was Matthew. But when their worlds start to fall apart, and all they have left is the company of a complete stranger, the unexpected happens. Destiny works in mysterious ways, after all. Human AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: I have wanted to write this story for ages, and I didn't really find the time. But now, here it is, reminding me why PruCan is one of my OTPs!**

**There will be mentions of other minor pairings, but it will mostly be PruCan.**

**Sad prologue is sad... enjoy!**

_Before the real story begins, a few things must be made clear._

_First off, Gilbert Beilschmidt was not one to fall in love. Nuh-uh. He didn't look for it, nor did he want it. Because he had seen how love worked. Love made people do stupid things. Love made people stupid. And he wasn't going to fall for that, thank you very much. _

_Next, he didn't feel jealous. Not at all. Everybody around him was in a committed relationship and he was still alone? So what? He didn't need a lover. Heck, he didn't want one. He didn't want to be in love. I thought that point was already cleared. _

_And finally, he was perfectly fine with having to share his best friends with their respective boyfriends. It was okay that their table in their favorite bar had now five chairs instead of their usual three, that every time they went out suddenly became a double date… plus one, that he had settled a new World Record, managing to be the FIFTH wheel instead of the standard third one. He didn't mind their trio slowly starting to fall apart, really. Because everybody had to settle down, move forward and all that jazz… right? Right?_

_So, after this has been explained, one would understand why he did not feel, by any means, hurt, disappointed or betrayed, and fully supported his friend when he made the BIGGEST, MOST STUPID mistake he could have ever made._

"I'm going to ask Arthur to move in with me"

Just like that. He dropped the bomb on a random Saturday evening, when they were watching a match on the sports channel. Usually Antonio would be seeing it too, but he was visiting Lovino's parents so it was just the two of them. They were both sitting on the sofa, sharing some popcorn and yelling at the referee. It looked so casual, almost like it wasn't planned at all. But they both knew it was. Maybe months in advance. Maybe before planning how to tell Arthur himself.

"What? Why?"

"You see… now that Tonio is getting married, I realized that… well, I really think Arthur's the one… and even if I'm not ready to marry him…"

Although the '_Not yet_' wasn't mouthed, the idea still flung in the air.

It was like a déjà vu. He had already experienced this a month ago, when his friend told them he was leaving. But he had Francis back then. Now it was him who was leaving, and Gilbert found himself alone one more time.

"Remember when we came here? We just finished college, and then here we were… New York City. We rented this together… remember what we said?" Gilbert faced him, voice trembling ever so slightly.

"That we would be roommates forever, just like in college… I know, but things have changed, we have grown up, we have to…"

Gilbert cut him short. He couldn't stand another lecture. If he heard the words 'settle down' just one more time...

"Now Antonio is getting married, you are moving in with your boyfriend… by the way, when would it be?"

He heard his friend sigh, and instantly knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"I'm going to ask him today, so it will probably be around next week. You see, his rent ends soon, so I guess it's a good time to…"

He definitely didn't like the answer. And even less what it was implying.

"He's moving _here? _So, not only are you breaking our promise, but _you are also kicking me out_?"

He spit the last words with as much venom as he could muster, and let them fade into the now tense atmosphere.

The French seemed genuinely hurt at that. _Objective accomplished._

"No! You know is not like that! Antonio is leaving, so we have an extra room! It could be the three of us!"

At that, Gilbert felt the urge to laugh. But it came more as a sarcastic snarl.

_No, it will never be 'the three of us'. And you know it._

"Yeah, sure, like I don't have enough feeling like the third wheel when we go out, now I will also feel it when I'm at home. No thanks."

He felt the other man sigh, and a hand on his shoulder.

"Gilbert, really… I don't want you to feel replaced, or betrayed, or…"

_Well, you couldn't have done it better._

Silence fell into the room, and suddenly it felt colder.

Gilbert looked around, at what once was their apartment. Now it was filled with boxes, with half-packed memories that once belonged to the three of them but now were going to fill the shelves in Lovino's apartment in Brooklyn.

In a week, the emptiness those memories left would be replaced with Arthur's books.

They were other kind of memories. Foreign ones.

And he could not stand seeing that happen.

"I'm leaving" he suddenly said, voice low and bitter.

"No, wait, I… I"

"Don't even try to follow me. I'll get my things…someday. We'll see each other when we see each other. After all, this city is not so big, is it?"

He got his keys, more by routine than by real need, and went out of the house without looking back.

Not until he heard the door slam behind him did the situation fully sink in.

Somehow, his feet dragged him to the rooftop. And, when he felt the cold, winter air on his face, slamming mercilessly against his body, it hit him.

_Guess we passed the point of no return._

So he just sat there, taking a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket.

And the flame brought back memories from the same place, but at a different time and a whole different situation.

* * *

"_So… here we are… what do you think?"_

_They fell silent for a moment, admiring the sight around them._

"_We… are gonna… rock this city"_

"_Like hell we will"_

"_Hey, has anybody brought beers? This deserves a celebration"_

"_No, but I've got cigarettes. They'd have to do"_

_"__Cigarette cheers__!"_

"_Cigarette__ cheers to a new life!"_

* * *

_Cigarette cheers to a new life then, _he thought bitterly.

He lit the cigarette, and brought it to his slightly trembling lips.

Around him, the city skyline. Above him, the sky.

He exhaled slowly.

And, as he saw the smoke fade into the New York City air, he thought about moving forward, growing up, and all those shitty euphemisms people used when everything they had ever leant on was starting to fall apart, and there was nothing they could do about it.

**A/N: This chapter may or may not be biased by the song I'm hearing while writing (hint: it is). But I promise it will be better... I'm not that good at writing sad scenes...**

******Cookies to the one who guesses where the title came from! Double cookies for the one who guesses which show is the quote "we'll see each other when we see each other" came from! Cookies for me, too,'cause I'm hungry!**

**I'm halfway with the next chapter (Canada appears! Yay!) so I think I will update soon.**

**Reviews make lonely Prussia less lonely!**


	2. You Will Be The Anchor

**… That Keeps My Feet On The Ground.**

_Lights were still lit. Traffic was still moving. Streets were still full with life._

_In millions of houses, millions of people were still loving, still smiling, still breathing, still alive._

_That's the magic of a big city: a constant reminder that the world keeps moving, even if yours seems to have stopped._

_No wonder why Matthew had felt alone when he first moved here from his little Canadian town. No wonder why the rooftop, with its magnificent view of The City That Never Sleeps, was his favorite place to go when he felt broken._

* * *

Not long after, Gilbert realized he was not the only one there.

There was a guy, a few steps from where he was. It was no more than a shadow, and he couldn't see his face. He could hear the uneven breathing and the occasional sniffing, though. He was shivering too, but he could not tell if it was because he was crying, or it was just the cold.

He thought he might as well make his presence known, just in case the other preferred to be alone. He felt rather awkward, like they were invading each other's privacy. So he came a bit closer and said:

"Hey... I just wanted to sit here for a while. You know, I like to come here to think. Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead" The boy had a really cute voice, even if it now sounded broken.

Then he turned to meet the other's gaze.

_And, years later, when they told the story of how they met, and even if they'll both differ in little details (mostly because robots and aliens were included in Gilbert's story) they'll agree this was THE moment. The spark that started everything. Their very own Big Bang._

_But we'll get to that. One thing at a time._

_For now, let's say Gilbert actually saw the guy, instead of just acknowledging his presence._

He looked no older than Gilbert was, that's certain. He had blond, curly hair and fair skin. Little freckles adorned his face in the moonlight. He was wearing a red hoodie and jeans. He had beautiful violet eyes. He could have looked like an angel…

…but his hair and clothes were messy, and his eyes puffy. He looked as if he had been crying for a long time, and could break any moment soon.

For some reason, that made him feel some empathy for the boy.

They sat there, side by side, in comfortable silence for a little while. Each minding his own business, just enjoying the body warmth of another human being on a chilly night. Just knowing they were not entirely alone in this world.

That should have been enough for them. But Gilbert was not used to be in silence for long.

"So... bad day huh?" he asked, and instantly wondered if he had ruined the moment.

The boy looked surprised at him, as if he was not expecting the question. But he looked pleased, as if he was not expecting anybody to care.

His lips turned slightly upwards, and it made Gilbert feel less miserable, even if it was just because it made a stranger's day better.

"You… you could say so. What about you?" The boy asked, and he looked honestly interested.

This was Gilbert's time to feel surprised that someone he didn't know cared about how he felt, especially when his best friends didn't. Well… maybe they did, but he was too pissed to admit that now.

He sighed, and looked at the city skyline, avoiding the other's gaze.

"Where do I begin? I used to live with my two best friends here. But one of them is getting married, and he is moving to the opposite end of the city. The other is moving in with his boyfriend to what once was our apartment. So now they have kicked me out. Our trio's down to one, now."

He wondered for a little while if he should tell the whole story.

_What the heck, I'll probably never see him again. Better get this off my chest._

"They all have found a life besides our group, and that's the only thing I had. I can't believe my socially awkward little brother has more love life than I do. They're moving, everybody's moving, and I am frozen, stuck… Everything moves and I have always been afraid I would be left behind. And now it seems that it has finally happened."

The blonde stared at him with those violet orbs for a long time. There was no reproach, no pity… just the slightest bit of understanding in those eyes. He opened his mouth as to say something, but shut it. He sighed, and looked away.

Gilbert was just about to ask when he heard the other's trembling voice.

"I used to live here with my boyfriend, too. We were getting married in June. Everything was settled, and I couldn't be happier. But I have just discovered he is already married in his hometown, and has left the girl pregnant. I can't believe I could buy all his excuses, all his 'business trips'." he muttered, just low enough for the other to hear it.

The blonde laughed bitterly.

"I should have seen this coming. I always end up falling in love with the jerks. I really thought he was the one. I have only felt like I was truly in love two times, you know? My High School crush was already going out with my brother and then this… this happens, and I don't know… maybe I'm just not destined to find someone. Maybe I have no soul mate."

Gilbert honestly didn't know what to answer to that. The boy's life was pretty fucked up too.

And here he thought he was the only miserable, lonely boy in town.

_The magic of a big city: you'll never be the only one feeling happy, you'll never be the only one feeling miserable. No matter how you feel, you'll never be the only one._

He was growing rather fond of the quiet stranger, maybe because his puffy eyes reminded him of the good times, when he was a kid and had to take care of his little brother, when he felt like he was needed, or maybe because his company was like a headlight on a stormy night.

So, out of real concern, even if he told himself it was just to keep the conversation flowing, he asked:

"Watcha gonna do about it?"

The boy shivered a bit, and the albino offered him his jacket. The boy gladly accepted, and Gilbert felt warm inside…even if he was freezing on the outside.

"Well, I sure as hell don't want to see him again. I'll probably change the locks, the furniture, everything that reminds me of him, and find a new roommate. This apartment is damn expensive, and too big for me alone."

Seemed like a good plan. He would have done the same.

"If I were you, I'd burn all his stuff too. You know, lest he comes and demands it back. Or you could take advantage of that do something tricky There are a million ways of getting your own back. 'Don't get mad, get everything', or so they say. Give him just the left shoes, cut a few inches of every suit he has, put his most embarrassing underwear on a public place for everyone to see… be creative."

"Wow, nice ones, never thought of those. You're evil." The boy smirked. "I like that"

"Hey! I will not say he doesn't deserve it."

The silence fell again, but this time it didn't feel as artificial. Simply, there were no words needed. No need to explain how they felt, because, after all, they both felt the same way.

Although, Gilbert found with slight amazement, he didn't feel as lonely and betrayed as he had felt before. He still felt mad, though, but not at Francis anymore. More at the guy who had been that much of a jerk to make his shy companion cry.

Really, he had been an asshole many times in his life, but the 'Biggest Douche In The Universe' had already a winner.

It was starting to get windy. It was a nice night, though. Had they not been in a big city, they would have probably been able to see the stars.

Yeah, it was a really nice night. There was only one thing that could make it nicer…

"I'm gonna get some beers, do you want one?" he heard the other say, and Gilbert asked himself if he had found his soul mate. If not, he had found a mind reader, which was equally as awesome.

He felt the tempting urge to ask if the boy was legally able to buy alcohol, but he seemed to have gotten teased enough for his slightly childish appearance, so he opted for the most secure option.

"Sure, why not"

There was never a 'no' to beer. First rule of the Bad Touch Trio.

The blonde left, and suddenly he felt lonelier than he had ever been. He could feel the emptiness the stranger had left, and each and every tiny feeling of sadness came back full-force.

The feeling faded, though, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a bottle in his hand.

The german in him made him look at the label suspiciously. Then he smirked.

"Nice taste"

He rather liked that guy.

The blonde sat again, this time just a bit closer to him.

"Thanks."

When they were halfway with the bottle, black clouds appeared in the sky, which promised to bring much more than a few drops.

"It's going to start raining soon. Should we get in?"

"Nah, I like the rain. I think it fits the atmosphere now."

And when Gilbert felt the first drop on his face, the silence was broken again.

"My name's Matthew Williams, by the way"

"Gilbert Beilschmidt"

After a while, they both sighed at the same time, and that did it for the blonde. He quickly stood up, and yelled:

"Hey... guess what? Enough with the self-pity. Enough with getting soaked wet and cold just because it fits the atmosphere. Right now you're coming to my house, and I'm making us pancakes. Absolutely nobody can feel miserable while eating pancakes."

The albino felt his lips turn slightly upwards.

Matthew continued:

"Tonight, you're sleeping on my couch. First thing tomorrow, you're gonna get your things from your old apartment, I'm gonna pack my ex-boyfriend's, and we're moving together. I don't know what will happen to us, but I just know if _they_ can move on" he pointed at the crowded streets "then we can, too."

Matthew really seemed like a good guy. He was funny, just the right amount of snarky, and had offered to make him food without having to ask for it.

He practically had a neon signal shouting 'roommate material'.

So there was only one answer to that.

"Sir, Yes, Sir"

And Matthew laughed at that. A genuine laugh.

It made Gilbert want to laugh too. For the first time since what felt like ages.

"I'm offering you a hand here. Shut up and take it, will you?"

* * *

_And that was it. No fancy words. No big deal._

_Just two people helping each other. It was just an arrangement. A shared loneliness._

_Just two men sharing a beer in the street on a rainy night._

"By the way, what's a pancake?"

"Please, please don't tell me you're a pancake virgin…"

"Hey!"

"But it's true! You've never tasted one…"

"Still! I'm too awesome to be called a pancake virgin!"

_It was not the epic beginning of your average rom-com._

_It was not love at first sight. It was not cheesy. It was not romantic._

_Truth to be told, it didn't even look like a beginning._

_And neither of them could have known just how much this rooftop, these beers, this rainy night would change their entire lives._

_But let's not rush. This story has just begun._

** A/N:****So... this was the... second? First? chapter, and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I realized how short the Prologue was, and I'm slowly starting to make my chapters longer. By the way, exams madness starts soon for me, so I don't know if I will be able to update weekly. Stay tuned to my Tumblr (which I always tell myself I will start using but I never do, guess I'll have to promise myself again) to know if they have eaten me or I'm still alive.**

**I hope next chapter will be lighter. I hate sad scenes... but somehow they end up being the only thing I write. Damn music, always influencing me.**

**By the way, Canada's ex is supposed to be Cuba, and his high school crush, Russia. I don't think they'll appear in the story, but if they do, just so you can understand who I am referring to.**

**Reviews make Matthew's ex-boyfriend mad, so go for it! **


	3. Always

**A/N: Oh My God. Just wanted to say 'thank you' to all of you. I wasn't expecting so many people to care about this story. You guys reeeeally make me want to keep writing. **

**Anyway, it took me a while, with exams and all that, but here you have. An update. I was thinking on splitting it in two chapters, but I made you wait long enough.**

**Here it is. We're making progress! Hurray!**

* * *

**Always**

_Last thing Gilbert remembered was getting wasted with his new roommate, making an awful lot of 'that's what she said' jokes, calling out random numbers just to sing Disney songs incredibly out of key... then a huge blackout there…_

_...and oh God, did he REALLY let him change all his contacts' names? Who the hell was 'Batman' now?_

First thing he woke up in the morning was the rough pain of having slept in a couch, a tremendous headache, and the feeling of a wet tongue licking his nose.

He slowly opened his eyes, groaning, only to find the brown eyes of a puppy looking at him expectantly. So he just stood there, frozen, wondering how the hell he had gotten into that situation. Was that dog there yesterday? Wait, was _he_ even there last night?

_This isn't even the weirdest awakening I've ever had after a drinking night. Nuh-uh, not even in the top 10._

_Wait... is that good or bad?_

After a few moments, and sensing no reaction from the man, the dog continued its ministrations.

"What...the...hell?" he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair and putting the dog gently on the floor.

He didn't realize he had said it out loud until he heard a voice coming from the other room, over the sound of a radio.

"Hey, seems that you've woken up. Good morning, _sunshine_" the cheery voice said.

_How… why…when… Hey, isn't he hung over like me?_

"You may not be used to this kind of question, but...why is a dog licking my face?"

"That's because you had maple syrup on your face" _Duh._

_Oh yeah, that explains everything. Except it doesn't._

Guided by the sound of the voice, he managed to find the kitchen. His back was still aching because of the couch, and it felt like someone was hammering his brain, but hell, it was worth it.

Matthew was in a pink apron.

A _motherfucking _pink apron and loose pajamas. This guy was just asking to be teased.

But not now. There would be pleeeeeeenty of time for that. _Mwa ha ha._

"No, seriously, where did he come from?"

"Well... I found him when I was on my way from work. I was just taking care of him for a while, until someone adopted it. Carlos... my ex, was not very fond of dogs. Not that it matters anymore. Now that he's gone, the dog stays. Anyway, I'm making breakfast. Do you want anything?"

No hesitation. Matthew was amazed (and a little alarmed, to be honest) when before finishing the question came the response.

"Pancakes"

"But you ate pancakes yesterday"

"Yeah... and I nearly had an orgasm just by how awesome they tasted. Really, in my ranking of favorite meals, they're escalating quickly" he stated.

And he tried (and failed) to put puppy eyes.

"Pleeeeeeeeease?"

Matthew blushed a little, but laughed nonetheless.

"So pancakes it is. I'm glad you liked them, by the way"

"Meanwhile... can I take a shower? It's been a long night, and it promises to be an even longer day."

"Yeah, sure, let me show you the way. I'll get you some clothes from my wardrobe"

And not even a second after he stepped into the shower, a loud shout echoed through the walls.

"Oh. My. God. YOU USE GIRL SHAMPOO!"

* * *

A while later, they were both sitting on the kitchen table, Gilbert's hair still dripping wet, one inhaling all the food on the plate, the other sipping on his coffee and humming with content at the song on the radio.

"You know," Gilbert started "that shampoo was totally pink and all"

"It's a very manly shampoo, mind you" Matthew replied, calmly.

"Sorry bro, but the label said 'long, curly hair'. No man shampoo specifies which kind of hair it is made for. It is made for... all kinds"

"We've been having this argument _forever. _It's man shampoo, period."

Gilbert kept silent for a little while, but just when Matthew was beginning to relax, a Cheshire grin invaded his face. Later on, the shy Canadian would learn to fear that grin. He would learn to read the signals as soon as they appeared, and run far, far away.

Unluckily, for now he didn't, so the only think he had was a slight suspicion, and a really bad feeling about it.

_I don't like where this is going..._

"I bet your hair is soft and perfumed..."

And he lifted a hand, in an attempt to touch it, and probably stroke it while laughing at Matthew's "lack of masculinity". Which would have already been embarrassing enough, but Matthew realized with horror what the first target was.

He was planning on beginning with _that_ curl. Yeah, because Murphy's a bitch.

_I certainly don't like where this is going..._

"Don't!" he shouted, although it sounded more like a yelp.

Gilbert withdrew the hand abruptly and looked at him, alarmed.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like it when people yank my hair" _Well, not exactly… but for now, we could say so._

The albino kept staring at him with those red orbs, and Matthew thought he would drown in them. There was a bit of...understanding? Maybe he knew…. But how? When? He didn't get _that_ drunk, did he?

But then, another Cheshire grin.

"You don't want me to touch it because you know I'm right. It's totally girlish" and he pinched the other's cheek, still smiling broadly.

And the Canadian thought he might as well give up, sensing that the other certainly wouldn't, and it was little prize to pay in comparison to... him touching... well, that.

"Yeah, Gilbert. You're right."

"Like I always am"

Matthew sighed.

"Like you always are"

_What would be a good way to make him forget this topic? Quick, improvise something!_

"More pancakes?"

And he knew he had found the right one when he saw the albino's smile broaden, and the dangerous hand patting his shoulder softly, _far, far from his hair._

"God, I've got the feeling we will be greeeeeeeeat roommates" he heard the other say, and sighed in relief. He was safe for now.

_Mental note: No matter what the problem is, or what question Gilbert asks, pancakes are always the answer._

* * *

They ate in silence for a while, but it was broken again not long after.

"The deal is still on, isn't it? I mean, I could always go to my brother's basement..._again_" Although the idea didn't sound appealing at all, Gilbert didn't want to look too desperate if the guy shrugged it off as just a drunken promise.

But instead, the blonde just raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Again?"

"I used to live there before I moved here. But theeeeeeen... lil' bro found love"

_Oh, yeah, those were the days. It was so fun to see Luddy all red and embarrassed when I suggested he was in love… man, how I miss having someone to tease… Mattie seems promising, though…_

"Awwwww. That's cute"

Oh no, he wasn't having any of that.

"No, wait, no 'aww' s here. As far as _we_ are concerned, love sucks. I don't want... feelings... flowing through this house"

Feelings… feelings were so overrated. Feelings sucked. Feelings were what got them into this situation. Feelings were to blame. No more feelings, no more suffering.

"True that. And yeah, you can still live here if you want. We'll have to split the rent, though"

"Sounds fine to me. So, what should we do today?" he wanted to get settled as soon as possible, and he didn't quite want to face his…friends(?) again.

_Truth is, I don't know if I'm mad at them anymore. I thought I was, but seeing Mattie here, getting through much worse than me and still managing to be calm, and smiling and all that… maybe I got too focused on the rage of being dumped. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment. I'm still feeling a little hurt, but… leaving was kind of sort of the right thing to do. I'd rather die than admit it, but maybe they were… maybe they were right. Maybe I overreacted… _

_I'm still not saying sorry, though._

"...move in? What do you think?" A voice got him on Planet Earth again.

"Hmmm? Sorry, I wasn't listening. I was thinking about…stuff" he answered, albeit still a bit absent-mindedly.

"I was saying…what about you get your things, and I start packing up his... and then you help me get rid of them so you can properly move in?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

_So… should I talk to them or what?_

"Hey Mattie…" he began.

"Yeah, what's it?"

"Do you think that I should talk to them? Try to fix it and all that?"

The only answer he got was a reassuring little smile, and that was more than enough.

* * *

Not a few seconds after he opened the door from what once was _his_ apartment, he heard a voice calling, and suddenly two pairs of arms were crushing him.

"Gil! We knew you were coming to your senses!" Right through his ear. He appreciated the gesture, really, but if could be just a tiny bit quieter…

"Yeah, Thank God you're okay! We called your brother, but you were not there, and we were worried!"

"Could you please stop shouting? _Gott,_ it's like you're hammering my brain! And where are my shades?"

They raised an eyebrow, so he just shrugged.

"I'm still hung over from yesterday. I went drinking with my new roommate... and hell, the boy's a heavy drinker. Didn't see that coming with that little body of his"

_By the way, how did he manage to be so happy and cheery and… not hung over this morning? He was even singing! He can't be human. I refuse to believe there's an even heavier drinker than I am._

"New roommate?"

"Yeah, I told you yesterday, didn't I? I'm just here to get my things, clothes and all that stuff."

Aaand, judging by his blurring memories, he even posted it on Twitter. But he didn't judge them for not reading it, really. Out of every 10 buttons he had pushed, only one of them was the letter he was looking for. Either he was encouraging his followers to learn how to read hieroglyphs, or he was in desperate need of some kind of "drunk-block" on his mobile phone.

Now that he thought about it, he should also check his messages. Better yet, burn the phone and never look back. He didn't want to know what his drunken self thought acceptable to send to his family and friends…

...he really didn't.

"It was for real? Franny told me it was just a petty fight, that you'll come later..."

Oh no. Oh no no no. Here came the drama. And he was _not_ one for drama. Whenever there were tears involved, he was at least 10 feet away. That was the rule.

Hello tears, goodbye Gilbert.

"I'm serious. I'm... I'm not really angry. It's just... you need your space, and I need mine. Not like we will never see each other again, I mean... I'm just next door. I'm even on the same floor!"

_Now that I think about it, why haven't I noticed him before? _

And just like that, with that simple two last words, all bitterness, all the arguments that could have ever been made, simply flew out of the window.

That could be left for later. There were more pressing matters right now.

"Wait a minute... you mean to tell me you're living with that cutie?" Francis looked about to have a heart attack.

"Now that explains everything..."

_No, don't try to pull that trick on me. Don't._

_Stop believing you're fucking matchmakers, for God's sake!_

"HEY! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! WE'RE JUST ROOMMATES!"

"Yeah... sure..." Now there was absolutely no way to take that thought out of their heads. But hey, he tried.

"You know what I think about love. I will _never _fall for anybody"

They both rolled their eyes at the same time. Perfect synchronization achieved by years and years of dealing with him.

"Anyway, he has a boyfriend, so you'll have to work hard. But we know you can do it!"

"Get your facts straight, smartass. Not that I care or anything, but the kid has broken up with his fiancée yesterday. Right now he's packing his things."

For a moment, they looked as if they had stopped breathing.

_Okay… so I have somehow fucked something up. _

_Waiting for the 'are you fucking stupid? __In 3…_

_2…_

_1…_

_Waiting for it… waiting for it…_

But it never came.

When Francis spoke it was with a calm, quiet voice, nearly a whisper.

"Hey, Tonio, you think this deserves a double facepalm, like I facepalm you and you facepalm me? Or should we just bang our head against the wall?"_ Pretty smooth. Something's wrong here_ "BETTER YET, WE SLAM YOURS, GIL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU IDIOT"

_Theeeeere it came. _

"Gilbert, tío, eres imbécil.*"

"Where were you in 'How to Take Care of Broken Hearts 101' ?"

_ I never was. You were the ones who got your heart broken. I was the only one awesome enough to never fall for anybody._

"First rule: _never _leave them alone."

_Wait... there isn't any concept such as 'privacy' or..._

"He's, I mean, I..."

Was it really that hard to pack your ex's stuff? Wasn't it putting everything in a box, and then getting rid of it? Seemed quite easy.

_Should I really go help him?_

_"But…"_

"No buts... GO! We'll pack your things, don't worry."

___Why do I have to be friends with people with... love lifes?_

"…sure?"

There was a unanimous answer for that.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?"

* * *

Two hours later, and after spending half an hour looking for empty boxes (really, the guy had _a lot_ of stuff) they had finally managed to pack Gilbert's things and bring them in front of his new apartment's door. They were about to ring the bell, but they noticed the door was slightly ajar, and curiosity was just too overwhelming.

What they found, was a sight they'll never forget.

Tough Gilbert, arrogant Gilbert, 'feelings are overrated' Gilbert was _hugging _his roommate. Like, letting him put his head on his shoulder and all.

_Who's him and what has he done with our friend?_

And, to top it off, he was muttering sweet nothings. Gilbert. Our Gilbert. Sweet nothings…

…

…

Oooooookay… so maaaaaaaaybe… it was not exactly like that.

Gilbert miiiiiiiiight be putting his arm around the other's shoulder rather awkwardly, and moved his other hand around without knowing exactly where to place it. He tried for his hair, but then remembered something abruptly and withdrew it. Finally, he set it on the other's arm, caressing slowly. He looked like his brain was about to short-circuit, and his face was just _priceless._

Halfway through 'What the fuck am I doing? Why is he crying?' and 'Can I touch him, or will he break?'

If Antonio and Francis weren't _utterly shocked_, they would be laughing so much right now.

Truth is, Gilbert had always been bad at comforting people. Like, the robot type. So, whenever he saw someone crying, and there was nobody else around he just stood there awkwardly and murmured what he thought could serve as encouragement words (usually just repeating 'there, there' and patting them on the shoulder), until someone else came to the rescue and he was freed.

But hey, this timehe was trying nonetheless.

"There, there…Don't worry... it-it's okay now... I can d-do it if it's too much…" Poor Gilbert was trying really hard to find the words, and failing miserably.

_Tell him everything will be alright, you idiot. _

Luckily, telepathy seemed to work.

"E-everything will be alright… come on… why don't we get some ice-cream and…"

He attempted to move away, but an unintelligible sound came from Matthew, muffled by his own shoulder, and a tugging on his sleeve made him stop.

"No...I will not leave you until you want me to. I will stay here as long as you want. I will stay forever if you want. Just please, _please, _stop crying."

Antonio and Francis looked at each other for a moment, and slowly nodded. They closed the door as slowly as they could, and came back quietly to their apartment.

After they closed their own door, silence lasted… about two seconds.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT?" Francis all but yelled. He had to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"HE FUCKING SAID HE'LL STAY THERE FOREVER." There was not a normal volume for this kind of things. They _needed _to be shouted.

"OUR LITTLE BOY HAS FALLEN IN LOVE... I'M SO PROUD_~"_

"I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!"

Well, so maybe they were a bit overreacting, but hey, who wouldn't?

"They will soooo end up together."

But then Antonio stopped, and looked at him in the eye.

"Oh come on, have you seen Gil? He's a hopeless fool for this kind of things. And he's so stuck in the 'I will never fall in love' phase that I doubt he will get out of denial"

"You underestimate the power of love, _mon ami_"

"And you underestimate the power of his stubbornness."

"Wanna bet?"

"Pfff... If you really want to lose money, who am I to deny you that?"

* * *

**Translations:**

**"Gilbert, tío, eres imbécil": Gilbert, bro, you're an idiot.**_**Not the literal translation, but that was more or less the meaning. Trust me, Spanish is my first language :)**_

**A/N: I forgot to say it, but all the chapter's names are actually songs. Last chapter's was Mayday Parade's, and this one's from Blink 182. The title is part of the lyrics of the song "For Baltimore" (All Time Low) . They have nothing to do with the chapter's content, and you could survive without listening to them, but they're pretty awesome. Yup.**

**So, this chapter was lighter than the others, and I'm not sure if I'm that good at humor, or if I am even remotely funny. Let me know if you prefer the angst-y ones ;)**

**I hope they don't seem too OOC, and that Canada is not too cliché. It would be explained later, don't worry. And as to why France and Spain react like that, well... I just have the headcanon that they, having such strong relationships, feel pity for Prussia being so alone, even if he says he likes it. So, they just want him to find love and be happy. And they want to play matchmakers, too.**

**Review if you would also overreact like Francis and Antonio did!**


	4. How To Save A Life

**A/N: I'm back! Real life got in the way... so I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted but... here it is. **

**Enjoy!**

**How To Save A Life**

"Is this the last box?" Gilbert said. This box wasn't even one of the heaviest, but hell, he was tired.

_Man, the asshole does have a lot of memories here. No wonder why Mattie wasn't able to cope with everything… Albums, diaries, Valentine's presents...the guy even keeps the letters they sent to each other when we was away… who the hell writes letters anyway?_

"Yeah, I think it is… can you please leave them on the corner, next to the door please? I don't want them getting on the way…"

"Sure…" As he put it on the floor, not as gently as he could, or so to say, he heard a small crashing sound.

_Oops… did I break something expensive? I am sorry... actually, I am not. Try not being a douchebag next time…douchebag. That's right, I am not even bothering to find another word to describe you. I will not waste any of my precious brain cells on you... douche._

_Douchebag. Douchebag._

"Douchebag…" he muttered, as he made sure no box was about to fall. Not that he cared about the other's belongings, or anything of the sort. He was just neat. The boxes could rot in hell for all he cared, as long as they were perfectly aligned.

Just as he turned around, he saw Matthew staring at him from the door frame of his bedroom. He looked tired, his eyes were still a bit red, and he obviously didn't look fine, but… he was smiling a bit.

And that was more than what Gilbert could have ever asked. Even if he was not exactly sure why.

"Hey... sorry for this morning's show… I really didn't mean to…" he began, but he was cut short.

"No problem"

"Really, I'm not like that! I don't usually cry on the shoulder of people I've just met. It was just… suddenly, I was so… it was so overwhelming that…"

_Don't panic. You can handle this. Don't let him start crying again, and everything will be alright. Don't fuck up this time. What are the signals for someone who is about to cry... wait, I have no clue. I should have paid attention in High School... but video games were addictive. Do I still have my NES? I should look for it... Shit! Focus! Okay… okay… he's talking about feelings. Feelings, feelings… a breakup… when was the last time I broke up with somebody… Never? Awww… shit. What do I do now? Does he expect some advice or something?_

"Hey! Don't blame yourself too much. It was also quite insensitive to expect you to deal with all this… alone. I shouldn't have left you alone, not just after the breakup"

He wasn't sure if it had worked, because the other just looked away, and muttered:

"I thought I would be alright"

_I really thought I would. I never wanted to break down like this. I never intended to look so... weak. I thought everything was over now, that I would simply move on, but... Looks like I didn't. And I made a fool of myself in front of you. And yet, you helped me, instead of running away. You took care of me. It was kind of... sweet._

_But still..._

And there it was, Gilbert noticed with increasing worry. Little Ludwig when he first fell from the bike and hurt his knee. The random chick he rejected on the Prom Dance. When he first saw the death of Mufasa.

_The signals. _

Quivering lip, staring at the horizon, blinking rapidly, but never actually closing the eyes. Sighing, uneven breathing. That set off all the alarms. If he didn't do anything, and if he didn't do it quick...

_Uh-oh… I'm on thin ice now… Quick, think of something smart!_

"Everybody thinks they would. You will eventually be… just not this soon."

And he patted him on the back, rather awkwardly. Someone was in desperate need of 'Comforting 101' there.

Matthew just stared at him for a long time. And Gilbert didn't know how to react. Did he fuck something up? Was the sentence too philosophical? Hey! It was not his… he just read it on Twitter. Blame Antonio for retweeting cheesy stuff. He was the soft one, not him.

He _did _let a friend cry on his shoulder… and that was soft as hell, but he didn't go _that_ soft. He was still tough, dammit!

So, maybe a little frightened, he just waited for his friend's reaction.

And, after a long silence, Matthew just looked away and said:

"Wow… that was deep. I didn't expect that from you."

_Thanks, Twitter. You made me sound poetical for once in my life. Wait… he said he didn't expect that… is that good or bad? Doesn't matter, he's not crying. Mission accomplished. If I could, I would give you a candy, brain... but as I can't, I'm eating it myself._

"I'm full of surprises, you should know that already."

Then he looked at the pile of boxes outside. Wait... when did Antonio and Francis leave them there? When did they come there? Please... It couldn't be... right? They weren't there while he was trying to.. If they had been there, maybe they heard... Fuck, did they witness the... no, the door was closed... or was it? Were they going to tell anybody?

_Did they get the wrong idea of it? Who am I kidding, of course they did._

"Where do I get my things?"

He was eager to finish all this packing-unpacking thing, just so he could finally be settled, and they could _finally_ sit on the sofa, and relax, just enjoying his Sunday, maybe even forgetting that the next day was…

Monday. Dammit.

"I'll show you the way" and, just as he was starting to lead his new roommate, he stopped at the sudden lack of sound, and turned around just to face a defeated glare.

"Mattie..."

"Hmm?"

Two words. The two words that can ruin any Sunday.

"Tomorrow's Monday."

There was only one response for that.

"Shit."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, where's my new bedroom?"

* * *

After a while, Gilbert was finally settled, albeit still a bit provisionally. There were many things yet to be placed, and a few more that surely need to be changed… but it was habitable. And awesomely decorated, if you asked Gilbert.

On the other hand, Matthew had a slightly different opinion.

"I can't believe it." He said, sighing, and doing his best not to facepalm.

"What?" Now Gilbert was honestly confused.

What was wrong? Didn't he like the posters? The millions of photos, Polaroid-frame and all? And then, there was… but surely, it couldn't be that, no one would dislike the huge…

"You have the Prussian flag. On the wall."

_No, for real. There is something wrong here. Not with him, with ME. Why do I keep getting surprised? It's him we're talking about!_

"And you have the Canadian one on yours… I can´t see the difference."

"But I am Canadian…"

_And how the hell does he know that I have a Canadian flag in my room anyway?_

"And I am Prussian. So?" He answered, matter-of-factly

"Prussia is not even a country nowadays"

"It is for me…"

A single thought crossed Matthew's mind at that point: _Should have seen that coming…_

"… nevermind"

And just a few seconds later, a quiet laugh filled the room.

"Kesese"

"What now?"

"I won again. 2-0, just for you to know. You have to work on that, dude. I don't like to pummel my opponents."

_Why do I even bother? I mean, is there any point in arguing with this guy? Silly question. Of course there isn't._

"Just for that comment, no more pancakes." _Gotcha. The boot is on the other foot now. Mwa ha ha!_

And revenge, oh, revenge was sweet, as he came out of the bedroom, and close the door. He marched victoriously over the sound of the other man's pleas.

"Wait! Wait! I take it back! I take it back!"

* * *

"Mattie…" He found himself unable to move, so he just called the other's name, hoping he would be near enough to hear it.

"Yeah?"

One single question crossed his mind. One single, simple question. And he voiced it slowly, as if still not believing it completely.

"What's up…with this house?"

_No, really now. First I wake up to a dog licking me, and then this…_

"What do you mean?" and he sounded honestly confused... _oh don't you dare 'what do you mean?' me._

"What do I mean? What do I mean? There's. A. Chick. In. My. Bed."

"You got laid yesterday? Who is she? Do I know her? Man, you're quick. "

"Ha. Ha. Very funny" And, although he tried to sound sarcastic, he started laughing in spite of himself.

"I'm hilarious, and you know it."

"I mean, there's a real chick. Looking at me."

And there it was. A little yellow chick, sitting on the bed, locking its little eyes with him. He even tweeted from time to time.

He was cute. And he knew it. _The bastard._

_I'm not buying it… I will not fall for that… Don't you dare put those cute eyes on me!_

"Maybe he flew from the window…"

_Oh come on! Don't look at me like that! It's not fair! That's cheating, you know that?_

_Fiiiiine…_

"I don't know… or care where it came from. If it was awesome enough to find me, I'll keep it."

"As long as you keep it caged…"

Gilbert looked at the little bird. Their eyes met for a moment. And he saw it clear.

"Hey! Gilbird says he deserves to be free!"

"Really, you named it after yourself? And I'm not even asking how you... think... you understand it… I don't want to know."

_Hey! Gilbird deserved to have a name as awesome as its owner! _

"Look who's taking. Mr. I-just-thought-of-the-best-name-ever-but-wait-I-ju st-forgot"

The Canadian blushed a bit at this, and thanked God Gilbert was in the other room.

"I know it started with 'Kuma', okay? And it suited him _perfectly._ It just…slipped my mind. I will remember at some point or another! And you'll see who's laughing then! Still, it's presumptuous to put your name to a pet. And a bit ridiculous, if you ask me"

"Shut up or you'll get a nickname too… _Birdie_"

Matthew sighed, and did his best to fight the little smile and the pink cheeks forming in his face.

_Birdie... he calls me Birdie... I know he's just kidding, but... I quite like the name._

_Birdie..._

Yeah, they were not the perfect roommates… but they got by.

Just the two of them, sharing an apartment, sharing a piece of their lifes. Maybe now, now that the move was finally over, they could get a bit of peace and quiet, at least the rest of the Sunday…

But Sundays don't last forever. And neither does peace.

Not until the phone rang did Matthew realize the chaos that was coming.

He answered the phone rather quickly, not bothering to look who it was. _Terrible mistake._

"Hi! Matthew here."

"Hey bro… what's up?"

Oh God… it was Alfred… Should he tell him about Carlos? And about his new roommate? He was his brother, sure, but he could get a bit… overprotective, at times.

He knew he was pushing his luck with this one, but…

"Not much… well, I kinda broke up wi-"

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking. So… any news?"

There. Alfred interrupting him, as usual.

Right then, he should have taken that as a signal of the Universe to shut up and never raise the topic.

Unfortunately, Matthew was too bad at reading signals.

"As I was trying to tell you, Carlos and I recentl-"

Gilbert was now watching them from a distance, and shaking his head slightly.

_I can't believe it… I know Mattie's a bit shy, but… to this point? _

And well, he could follow the conversation quite clearly. There was no speakerphone, Alfred just spoke _that_ loud.

"Man, you're my brother, but you're just too boring. Is Carlos there?"

_Ha! Finally! He would let me explain! _Matthew thought.

But there was no such luck. This time, Gilbert took the phone. And, at the top of his lungs, and with the loudest voice he could muster, he shouted:

"LITTLE GUY HERE IS TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT HIS FIANCÉ WAS A DOUCHEBAG AND CHEATED ON HIM, SO THEY BROKE UP. IF YOU STOPPED INTERRUPTING HIM MID-SENTENCE, AND ACTUALLY LISTENED TO HIM FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE FUCKING KNOWN EARLIER. AND DON'T YOU DARE INTERRUPT ME TOO, BECAUSE I'LL-"

"WHO ARE YOU… WAIT MATT, YOU DID WHAT? HE DID WHAT? I'M COMING."

Yeah, this time Gilbert really thought he had won. Poor innocent soul…

_I can't believe it… He did it again! And to me, of all people! How dare he?_

While he was still in shock, Matthew took back the phone.

"No no no! Don't do that! Alfr-" he tried, only to be interrupted. Again.

"I'm booking the plane tickets right now." His voice was adamant.

"Don't cross the country just bec-" Arguing was useless, he knew, but at least he tried.

"I'll be there as soon as the plane arrives."

_Oh thanks, Captain obvious! Never could have guessed that. We were expecting you two hours earlier! _

Of course, none of them voiced their thoughts. But it went more or less like that.

"Alfred, please, don't… you don't have work? or anyth-" But he already knew the answer.

"My little bro is brokenhearted, and I can take my laptop and work anywhere. I will not leave you alone."

"But I'm not alone. Gilbert is with me! Don't you list…" This time it was him who stopped himself.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

_Uh-oh. Tell me I didn't say Gilbert's name. Tell me I didn't. This can't be happening. No no no no. Please…_

_So, what now? Don't..move… he will sense your fear. Now stop and think. Desperate times call for desperate measures...Guess there's only one thing that could work now… magic._

_If I close my eyes and wish strong enough, he won't have listened to that part._

"WHAT? WHO'S HIM? YOU HAVE A NEW BOYFRIEND? OR IS HE JUST YOUR CRUSH?"

_Tough luck, Mattie. _

"No he's nothing of the sort… he's just my-" No, there was no way to fix it now…

"I'M DEFINITELY COMING NOW. HE HAS TO PASS MY TEST FIRST. DON'T YOU DARE MARRY HIM BEFORE HE DOES! IN FACT, DON'T MOVE! DON'T TALK! DON'T LOOK AT HIM!"

"But…" He tried, but the other had already hung up.

Matthew looked at Gilbert. Then back at the phone. Then back at Gilbert.

Alfred and Gilbert. His brother, and his new roommate… his new friend. The two most self-centered people he knew, in the same room. For hours. For days, if his brother didn't trust the albino enough. Which he never did, with any of his previous relationships. And, now that he thought about it, he had been right the whole time. What kind of made up for the rest of the times he had been wrong while arguing with Matthew, more or less about the 99% of the times. But still, even if he knew, he kept arguing. And so did Gilbert.

_A recipe for disaster._

What if they got into an argument? None of them would admit defeat, that's certain. It could go on forever, and ever, and…

Oh no, there would be no more peace from now on. But it was good while it lasted.

**A/N: Anyway, just for you to know, I'll be travelling to the States this summer, from the end of June to the end of July. That means, I don't know if I will have an Internet connection available where I'm staying, and much less if I will have the time to sit down and write. So... I'm thinking I'll start writing a few chapters ahead of the one's that I'm posting, so that the only thing that I have to do is upload them, and that way the updates would be more or less regular. The downside? I don't think I will be able to post weekly, as I have been trying to do so far. They'll probably be every two weeks or something like that. **

**Reviews are the chocolate cake of the Internet, so share a bit!**


	5. I Swear To You, I'll Be There For You

**I Swear To You, I'll Be There For You**

So, for the rest of the day, and the whole night, Gilbert had to comfort an increasingly freaking out Matthew, telling him that _yes, everything would turn out right _and _no, Alfred wouldn't flip shit, and if he did, I wouldn't go away because this is MY apartment as much as it is yours, and the only brother that can kick me out of places is mine._

Which was followed by a really embarrassing story about how the albino discovered that he was no longer needed, in Ludwig's house. And yeah, it involved pasta, a night when he was supposed to go out but he finally didn't, and too many things he saw and never wanted to see.

But it made Matthew relax a bit, so it was worth the pink cheeks.

And the surprisingly embarrassing story of how Matthew discovered that he should never, _ever _share an apartment with his brother and his boyfriend, involving vodka, hamburgers, and a huge amount of regret sure helped, too.

So, in the end, they were laughing on the sofa, in a strange competition of who had the most awkward brother, and who could tell the most embarrassing family story. It was Gilbert's turn now, and his little audience had nearly fallen off the sofa.

"Wow… I would have wished for Earth to swallow me if I were you…" Matthew sighed, once he had managed to calm himself.

He had now tears running down his cheeks, and his stomach did hurt a lot. But hell if it wasn't the time he had laughed most in weeks. Months.

Or, well, in years.

"In fact, I did. And if you thought this was embarrassing… I haven't even begun with college, and having to share a room with the second and the third horniest boys in campus."

The blonde smiled at that.

"Let me guess, you were the first one"

"You guessed right."

"Oh, boy, I'm sure the last thing on your mind were the exams, am I right?"

There was no need to hide it. He was right.

"We did _everybody…_except homework"

_Ah, college years…_

"I'm really looking forward to losing the little respect I still had on you, dude"

And they both burst out laughing. Oh, if poor Mattie knew about their first college party…

"But we'll talk about it another day. Let's make dinner first. What do you want?"

Matthew watched in awe as his roommate put the apron on.

_Really? Really? The tricky bastard!_

"So you know how to cook? And you made me cook pancakes for you every.. every damn meal?"

Okay, so Gilbert may or may not have put the '_poor fool that can't cook to save his life' _stunt so he could get more of that piece of heaven. But it had worked, and Matthew seemed to enjoy himself while cooking, so…

"But Birdieeeee… they are awesome! And you like them too! Come on, let me make up for it. I'll cook whatever you want"

"Whatever?"

And, much to his regret, he sighed:

"Whatever…"

Matthew seemed to think, a malicious smile rapidly appearing. But in the end he sighed, and said:

"Dammit, I'm too much of a good person. Let's order some pizza"

And, after calling the pizza guy Matthew thought he might as well call his boss too, just to give her the news.

He was working on a little flower shop, until he found a job on his field. The owner, Bel, was a nice young girl with a not-so-cheery brother, and Matthew had grown quite fond of her over the months. He had even arranged with her the flower decoration for his wedding…

Ah, yeah, the wedding. Carlos.

Surprisingly, Gilbert had made him forget about that.

"I have to call my boss. Tell her there's no wedding, no honeymoon."

"Well, not that I don't want to see you like this… but you sound a bit too happy to tell someone you've just broken up with your fiancé"

_So he noticed too… Is he really aware of the effect he has on me?_

_Am I?_

"You're right."

"Do you want me to call for you?"

"No, I can do it. I can do it. Just.. don't mention pasta, or vodka, or anything remotely linked with any of those stories, and I will be fine."

And he took out his mobile phone, and started telling the story all over again.

_He said I couldn't say anything that reminded him of anything funny… but he said nothing about me making faces…_

"So yeah, I haven't even seen him yet after I discovered, his stuff is still here… No, really, I'm okay, just a little shocked, it has been so… so… Gil what the heck are you doing?"

He instantly stopped and just stared at him, playing innocent. But his broad smile betrayed him.

"Sorry, it was just… Gilbert, a friend of mine… Yeah, he's helping me deal with all this… No no, really, I can go to work tomorrow as much as any other day, really. I'm fine…"

But there was nothing he could do about it. So, after half an hour of profuse apologies, she hung up, and he just stared at the phone for a bit before saying:

"She said I can take as much as I want to without going to work. She said I can take this as my little recovering holidays…"

"Hey! That's a wonderful idea! I will do that, too!"

Matthew just stared at him, wondering for a bit if he was kidding or not.

"Gil, the broken heart of a person you have just met doesn't count as an excuse for not going to work."

But his friend just smirked.

"No, it doesn't. But… maybe a… a… fuck it, I can't think of any excuses. Let me make a few calls."

And he locked himself in his bedroom, just to appear fifteen minutes later, smiling triumphantly.

"That's it. I'm skipping work"

"How did you do that? Without any legit reason?"

"Pulled a few strings, you know. And weeeeell… Antonio and Francis are my co-workers, and we cover each other whenever someone needs to get off work."

Matthew was about to ask more, but then the pizza arrived.

They ate silently for a while, or rather, Matthew was silent while Gilbert spoke. Even if the albino tried to keep the conversation flowing, it was hard if he got no response. Earlier, Matthew had been all cheery and happy, even laughing, but now he seemed to be even more depressed than the first time he saw him. So he just had to ask:

"Are you okay?"

It took Matthew a few minutes to come back to Earth and answer, but when he finally did, it came as a whisper, more for himself than for Gilbert to hear.

"Now that you're meeting my brother… will you forget me, like everyone does?"

Still, Gilbert had good hearing, for what he wanted at least, and managed to catch that. What he didn't do, though, was understand it, so he just chocked on the beer he was drinking.

"What?"

But the Canadian still refused to look at him.

"You'll meet my brother tomorrow. He looks just like me, but he's taller and slimmer. He's outgoing, funny and cheery. Will you forget about me then?"

_Will you, Gilbert? Will you become so elated with him that I would no longer exist, like Ivan did? Will I be replaced?_

_Or will you still remember me, like I pray you do?_

And, as he was looking at the floor, he didn't catch the worried look Gilbert sent him, and the pair of arms around him came as a surprise.

"Listen to me, Matt. Nobody will ever replace you. You were the one who offered me a place to stay when I was homeless. You made me forget my problems. You helped me forgive my best friends. You cheered me up when I was down. You kept me floating when it looked like I was drowning. And absolutely _nobody _will make me forget that. You have no clue how hard it is for me to say this to someone who isn't me, but Birdie, you're fucking _awesome._"

And after that, and fifteen more minutes of Matthew assuring him that he was _not_ crying, wouldn't be any moment soon, and telling him that _really, he was okay, it had just been a moment of weakness, _they came back to the story of how Gilbert found out his childhood friend was not as manly as he thought him… or rather, her, to be.

Matthew actually fell off the couch this time, laughing until his stomach hurt. The only problem? He had broken his promise. He was crying, after all. They were tears of laughter, but they still counted.

* * *

Next morning, Gilbert woke up at an insistent ringing on the door. He started wondering if all the awakenings in that house would always be as rude as they had been so far, but then he remembered when, in high school, some bastards thought it would be funny to move him to an airbed and throw him to the pool, when he passed out after a party.

_Nope, nothing in this house could ever reach top 10._

Still, it was getting really annoying.

"Fuck, who is it?"

So he put his boxers on… _hey, sleeping naked is not that strange, mosquitoes deserve to admire my body too!_, and answered the door.

"MATTIEEEEE!" the voice called from the other side.

"Could you please stop shouting? We're trying to sleep over here!"

And he opened the door, only to find that the shouter was a replica of his shy, little Canadian, only less shy, less little, and less Canadian.

_Oh, so this must be Alfred. Heh, so he does look like Birdie. But he is not nearly as cute…_

_NOT THAT I THINK ABOUT MATTIE AS CUTE, OF COURSE._

… _Because I don't._

_Okay, brain, let's make a deal. I do not make you think this early in the morning, and you do not make me refer to my roommate as 'cute', okay?_

Alfred dragged him back to earth, face-first.

"Who are you? BROOO, WHY IS THERE A HALF-NAKED GUY IN YOUR HOUSE?"

"Alfred, will you please lower your tone? It's 7 AM!"

Matthew appeared, ruffling his hair and still with the glasses off.

_Hehe, seems like I am not the only one who has had a rude awakening…_

_Polar bear's pajamas… He's so cu…_

_WHAT WAS THE DEAL, BRAIN? _

"I CANNOT LOWER MY TONE IF I AM FREAKING OUT! AND I AM, BECAUSE YOU HAVE FUCKED HIM!"

Oh, his brother was hard to deal with, he knew.

At this point, Gilbert felt the urge to intervene.

"Hey hey hey. Calm your tits, bro. I haven't done anything to your brother."

"…Yet."

_Why is everybody supposing we will end up together at some point or another?_

"Alfred, really… he's just a friend."

His brother entered the house with a huge suitcase, all the while screaming:

"YEAH, THAT'S THE SPIRIT! AT LEAST UNTIL HE PASSES THE TEST!"

"Hey, what test?" Gilbert asked, but he wasn't heard.

On the other hand, Matthew was not having any of this. Not until he had showered, and had his coffee, at least.

"I'm taking a shower, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Wait, Birdie! What test?"

"BIRDIE? YOU CALL HIM BIRDIE? YOU TWO ARE DATING ALREADY? MAN, WE HAVE TO GO FAST. OKAY, FIRST QUESTION: WHEN DID YOU LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY?"

"Birdieee! Do not leave me aloooooone!"

But he was too far to hear him.

And so, the test begun.

The questions varied from simple, normal topics, such as birth date, age and profession, to other…not so normal topics, and he even ended up asking Gilbert the most bizarre sexual questions one could say out loud.

…Which Gilbert, being the show-off he was, answered with a 100% of sincerity… and a 200% of imagination.

When Matthew came out of the bathroom, hair still a bit wet, but at least more awake, he overheard his brother asking:

"So you are from Germany, aren't you?"

"Prussia, actually."

"What?"

"East Germany?"

"What?"

"Nevermind"

_Oh, how could Matthew think I would replace him for this… this… Birdie at least knows what Prussia is, for God's sake!_

Then said man came back to the living room, just in time to hear his brother screaming:

"YOU HEARD THAT? HE'S GERMAN! HE HAS A GERMAN ACCENT"

And he had to use all his self-control not to punch his brother right there and then.

_This can still be saved. As long as he does not carry on with this topic, Gilbert has no need to know…_

But his brother had a big mouth, and that didn't work well with his plans.

"You see, this may seem irrelevant at first, but my bro here has a _huge_ kink for people with strong accents. Especially Ger-"

"SHUT UP!"

But it was too late now. Gilbert already had that Cheshire grin plastered on his face, and raised an eyebrow as if asking _'oh, really?'_.

Matthew felt his face go red with embarrassment, and looked at his brother fiercely, hoping he would get the hint.

Needless to say, he didn't.

"Oh my God… you are going to have sooooooooo much fun in bed… IF you pass the test, that is."

So the rest of the morning came without any major incident, mostly because the Canadian was far too embarrassed to make any kind of comments and Gilbert… well, he still was processing the information.

"So, Gil, tell me," Alfred began, mouth half full, while they were having lunch "Where did you meet Mattie?"

_Oh, so NOW begins the normal conversation, doesn't it? After letting slip that I have a major kink for German language? And after asking him who knows how many bizarre questions that I am glad I wasn't present to know the answers to?_

_Now you begin with the normal conversation, Alfred?_

_So_, they spent the rest of the afternoon telling him the whole story. Alfred even 'awwww'ed a couple of times, and, surprisingly for everybody, he announced that Gilbert had indeed passed the test, and so he was no longer needed ("You need privacy to develop your relationsh… don't look at me like that, develop whatever the hell is between you" he said) and he was taking the early plane back home. Before leaving, he patted Gilbert on the back and said:

"Take care of him."

Neither of them knew what to answer to that, given the fact that they were not in love with each other, let alone dating. Why did everybody think they were?

"Errr… I will, I guess."

"But, hey, don't be too confident. You have passed the test, yeah, but hurt my brother… and you will pay. Are you familiar with the Spanish Inquisition? Well, that would be a nice day at the beach compared to what I will do to you if you make him cry…"

_Quite fair, _Gilbert thought. _Would have done the same_.

"Which reminds me…" Alfred continued, this time looking at his brother, "How is Carlos doing? Where is he?"

"No news" Matthew just shrugged. "He hasn't even gotten his things yet. Hey, that reminds me... I have to change the…" and he went back into his bedroom.

This time Alfred was just about to go out when Gilbert called him back in.

He glanced around, making sure his roommate was still inside.

_Good._

"Hey, Alfred…"

"Yeah?"

Even if he was fairly sure that Matthew was not hearing them, his voice still came out as little more than a whisper.

"The coward might have gone out of this state, maybe he is even in another country."

Alfred nodded. He had already thought about that. He was just hoping his brother would know something else, that they would still have kept in touch.

"I know… He is Cuban, isn't he? He'll have family there, or something."

"Anyway, I will also be looking for him."

They shared a look. Nothing bonds more two people than the common hatred and wish for revenge.

"If he shows up, to get his things or…" Alfred began.

"… or God forbid, beg for another opportunity, I'll call you. And if _you_ find him, please call me. I also want to have a few words with this son of a bitch"

The blonde smirked.

"Just words?"

"Oh, you know what I mean."

They both laughed, and then Alfred looked at him and said:

"I knew I was right. You will make a really good boyfriend for Mattie. Just take care of him, will ya?"

_And he still thinks I'm in love with his brother…_

"Not even bothering to keep telling you that we're not dating, there is no point."

Alfred just shrugged.

"No, there isn't. Because, I know my brother, and if he isn't already in love with you, he will. I have a radar for his crushes"

"Well, this time it might be broken, kid. Only one thing…not that I intend to take advantage of it any time soon, but.. the German language kink is for real?"

The only answer he got was a mysterious smile, and the sound of the door closing.

"I'll let you discover it by yourself… Goodbye, Gilbert. And remember to call me if that asshole is around"

The other was long gone, but the albino looked at his hand, and the little piece of paper with Alfred's number in it, and whispered:

"I will. That motherfucker doesn't even deserve a fair fight, after all"

**A/N: Yay! Now we have Alfred's permission to let PruCan happen! And I am very, _very sorry _for all the Cuba bashing I'm making... but to me, he broke poor Mattie's heart, he's a jerk. And yeah, I have a few chapters typed, so there will be a chapter every week! And, as some of you were asking, yeah, _there will be smut. Lots of it. _But I want to make it fit the plot, so you'll have to wait for a bit...**

**And title comes from the song "Drive By" (Train)**


	6. And I Fell For You

**... And I Fell For You**

"You sure you don't want me to call in sick again?"

Gilbert had spent the last half an hour just wandering around the house, opening the door but then pretending he forgot something and never actually leaving. He was already dressed and ready, but still he stayed at home, in hopes of some miracle… or persuading Matthew to let him stay.

"Oh come on, you got off work yesterday too. They'll start to get suspicious"

"I have friends there who can cover me up. They'll say they visited me and saw me still a bit under the weather, or something. The perfect alibi"

Perks of having your best friends as your co-workers, I guess. But it was kind of a pain in the ass, sometimes. He once had to pretend he had a broken leg, stitches and all, just so Antonio could spend a romantic weekend at Rome with his boyfriend.

_Oh, who am I kidding, I enjoyed every second of it._

"Stop believing you're in a spy movie and go"

"But I don't want to leave you aloooooooone…"

"Be honest. What you don't want is to go to work"

True. He didn't want to go _at all. _But that wasn't the only reason.

He truly didn't want to leave the other alone. He was one to learn from his mistakes, and the last time he left showed him what could happen if you leave someone who has just got out of a break-up alone. And he surely didn't want to repeat the experience again.

He looked a lot better than the previous day, that was certain, but… he wasn't sure if he could trust him yet.

And hey, if that involved staying at home, who was him to refuse the offer?

"Okay, so maybe it's a bit over that. But still, I don't want to leave you"

"I will be okay" Matthew pushed him to the door.

"You said that last time."

"No seriously. Look at that. I have Kuma… kuma-something… don't laugh! I will remember it someday! Anyway, so I have the puppy to give me company, popcorn, a huge amount of chocolate ice cream, and Alfred lent me some movies. I'll be entertained."

"Which movies?"

"Alfred just took the '10 moves to see after a breakup' list and rented all of them"

Believe it or not, he even printed the list and went ticking each title one by one. Didn't even leave one. Overprotective? Maybe, but he knew how to take care of a brother.

"But I want to see them too!"

Matthew raised an eyebrow, suspiciously, an idea already forming in his mind.

"Really… would you survive Bridget Jones's Diary?"

Gilbert paled, and he looked suddenly nervous. He looked at the watch for a brief moment and pretended to be shocked.

"If you excuse me, I'm already a bit late. So I guess I'll be going…"

_Works every time. _

"… So I thought"

"I'll call you when I get the time, just to check."

"Fiiiine… but really, I'll be okay. My brother will probably show up at some point or another, too."

"Didn't he say he was taking this morning's plane?"

Yeah, he actually said that he was leaving today, and in fact he did take a taxi to the airport. But, being Alfred…

"You obviously don't know him. He'll be around. Really, stop worrying. Now go, or apart from Bridget Jones you're seeing Moulin Rouge too"

Like a miracle. Two seconds later, Gilbert was already out.

"Bye! I'll come back soon!"

And he left.

_Really, I don't understand why nobody wants to see them. They're good movies! Maybe a bit corny but… hey!_

He closed the door slowly, and sighed. He was alone now. And had all day for himself… oh, boy, sounded like a nice plan for him…

He put on his pajamas, took out the ice cream from the fridge, and turned the TV on.

After a few minutes, he was already screaming at the screen.

"Oh come on! Are you kidding me? How can you not realize you are in love? I mean, look at him! And look at you! You have been rejected by your crush, your heart has just been broken, and he was there the whole time! IT'S SO OBVIOUS!"

And it suddenly struck him.

_Oh, Mattie, Mattie, what have you gotten yourself into…_

_Gilbert. Oh fuck, it was Gilbert the whole time._

_Fair skin, light blond…near white hair, tall and lean… He does look like your type, doesn't he? Does he remind you of somebody? Maybe your high school crush, who you were too shy to ask out… until he was happily going out with your brother? But still, their personalities are exact opposites… aren't they? He kinda acts like… your ex, maybe? _

_And still no, he doesn't. _

_Yeah, he can be quite self-centered sometimes, a bit arrogant maybe… but it is just a façade. You have seen his real self. Up there, on the rooftop. You have seen him bare his soul… he cares. He cares for you. He really does. He comforted you when you thought no one could. He hates to see you cry. He does his best to make you happy. He isn't perfect, but… _

He felt his face go red. Thank God no one else was home… Where was the common sense when one needed it?

_Oh, come on. Comparing him to your first crush and to your ex. Are you REALLY taking this seriously?_

Thanks! There it was!

_God, do you hear how stupid you sound? It's like a schoolgirl's first crush! You barely know the guy. You've been together… 72 hours? And yet you're already head over heels with him. You had never talked to him before, but he says a few nice things to you and you already fall that hard. Totally like a teenager. Should we make a folder, with a collage of his photos or something like that? Would you ask him an autograph? Print some posters? Start a fandom on Tumblr?_

_No no. Don't answer to that question. I prefer not to know the answer._

_No, but seriously, doesn't this look like a rebound? You just ended a long-term relationship… and not 3 days later, you find the man of your life? Really? Are you insane?_

_It's all about revenge, isn't it?_

_Do you want to be the one who won the break-up? Do you want to show your ex how 'okay' you are? Please don't do this. _

No, of course it wasn't a rebound. As a matter of fact, he found out that he didn't think about Carlos that much when he was with him. He had that special way to make him laugh, to make him forget all his problems… he discovered that he was happier when Gilbert was around.

And that set off all his mental alarms.

_Or maybe… no no, please don't tell me it's even deeper. Matt, I am asking this seriously, and I want an honest answer… have you already fallen in love with him? This soon? _

He found himself unable to answer to his own inner voice, and that was enough of an answer.

_Turn the TV off, you have seen way too many movies. No more Jennifer Aniston for you, young boy._

_Now listen to me. Love at first sight. Does. Not. Exist. It is okay in movies, but not in the real life. You can't be in love with him if you don't know him for…at least a week. Hell, it takes people MONTHS to realize they love somebody!_

It took him several months to accept the fact that he was in love in all of his previous relationships. Not that they were a good example either, seeing as they all ended up quite badly…

And, to top it off, Gilbert seemed to be different from all the guys he had met so far. There was something in him… something special, that made him stand among the rest. And he would be lying if he said he didn't find himself staring at him for a longer time than necessary sometimes.

_Yeah, I know… he is REALLY attractive. I mean, have you seen him? He's fucking gorgeous! He could work as a model if he wanted to. He looks lean, but not too muscled. Just the right amount of… and will he have a six pack? He sooo does… GOD, HORMONES, WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME? _

_Worst part? He knows he's attractive. He knows the effect he has on other human beings. And he takes FULL ADVANTAGE of it. Man, I bet he's the kind of guy who sleeps naked… NOT THAT YOU'LL CHECK THAT, OR ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY MATTIE, YOUR COMMON SENSE TALKING HERE. THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. DON'T DO IT. JUST DON'T._

Still, one could fantasize, couldn't he? It won't hurt…

_DON'T!_

He could literary feel his common sense banging its head against the inner walls of his brain. And it hurt. Quite a lot.

_I TREATED YOU SO NICELY… I MADE YOU PASS YOUR EXAMS! I GOT YOU GOOD GRADES! I TRIED TO WARN YOU WHENEVER YOUR HEART IS ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING STUPID! LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, NOW! DON'T YOU THINK I DESERVE SOME NORMAL TOPICS TO THINK ABOUT, AT LEAST?_

He was right. Nothing to say about that. But… he happened to find the second most lovesick fool in the city.

_I would pass it off as nothing… but it isn't just that you find him hot, is it?_

_You also find him endearing… Fuck, Mattie, don't do this to me._

Because, even if he could sometimes be annoying, Matthew discovered Gilbert was not so difficult to put up with as he initially thought.

He enjoyed spending time with him. His laughs were not faked when Gilbert told those puns, even if they were horrible and should be banned. He came to appreciate the lack of humility from the other, because that meant that, when he complimented Matthew, it was absolutely _sincere._

He…even… enjoyed… arguing with the man. He just pretended not to, Gilbert's ego was big enough already. But it was a good company, and he… he had fun.

_He is a bit of a show-off sometimes, but he also seems to be quite sweet if he wants to. And even if he pretends to hate romantic comedies, I'm sure he has seen all of them. I bet he is a cuddler, too…_

_NO. TOTALLY NOT THINKING ABOUT CUDDLING WITH HIM UNDER A BLANKET. YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, KID._

Okay. So fantasizing about your roommates' body? That was fine. He was human, and Gilbert hot, after all.

But… fantasizing about cuddling with him on a rainy Sunday morning? RED ALERT. CRUSH INCOMING. AND THE LITTLE DETAILS OF THE RAIN AND COLD DID NOTHING BUT HELP TO PROVE THE POINT.

_Now, let's be realistic, shall we?_

_You don't even know if he's gay. He could be as straight as an arrow for all you know. And, if it turns out he likes boobs as much as… I can't believe I'm actually saying this… as much as you like him, what will you do then? _

_And if he DOES like dudes… he might not like you._

God bless optimism. And god bless self-esteem, too.

_I'll just sit here and go all 'Told ya" Don't expect any help from my part. Because, guess what?_

_TOLD YA._

But, overall, in the battle brain vs. heart, there was a clear winner.

_TELL ME YOU ARE NOT SERIOUSLY WONDERING THIS. TELL ME WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION._

They were. Poor common sense couldn't take it much longer.

_You know what? Screw it. There's no point in pretending it isn't true. I'm not even bothering to try and cover it up. You're already head over heels. You're so deep in love I can't even see you anymore. And I'm leaving now. I will not take part in this. This is madness. _

He couldn't help but think:

_Madness? Madness? This. Is. Sparta!_

And he giggled for a bit, only to be scolded.

_Oh, don't you dare change the topic. Don't run away with a classic reference to a movie. And, now that you speak about 300, and Spartans… face the truth like a man. You have fallen for your new roommate, which you have just recently met. Now deal with the consequences. And excuse me while I get the fuck out of here._

_Call me when you come to your senses again. _

_I wish you luck, you'll certainly need it._

That made him come back to reality.

He realized the movie was still on, and he had been starting at it the whole time, without paying any attention. So he just kept watching it absent-mindedly.

If he wanted his sanity to be intact, he had to get things clear:

Okay, so, first of all, he was fairly sure of:

1. He had just gotten out of a long-term relationship, and he was in love again.

2. With his new roommate

3. Which he had just met

4. And didn't know if he liked him back

5. Or if he was even gay in the first place.

6. And to top it off, it wasn't a rebound.

7. Like, a serious crush over there.

8. And he had to see him 24/7

9. Without looking like a fool

He took Kuma in his arms, and started petting him, just to feel he hadn't gone completely crazy.

Then the phone rang, and he had to struggle to answer it without sacrifying his comfortable position.

"Hey! Birdiee!"

No, his heart did _not _skip a beat when he heard the nickname. He was perfectly calm, and it did NOT affect him in any way…

… Oh come on, who are we kidding.

"Hey…" he answered.

"Are you okay? You... you are not crying, aren´t you? Tell me you aren't"

"No… I am okay r-really. So… m-much work there?"

_No, he just went to the office to make paper planes. And that wasn't the lamest excuse for a conversation I've ever seen. Seriously, if you don't want to wear a neon sign around him yelling 'I love you', you will have to work on this, kid._

_"_Yeah, in fact I have a meeting soon. But let's see if I can pass the buck to someone else and get home earlier."

No. He was not getting infatuated by… let's face it; he was not in denial anymore. He _was_ getting infatuated by the thought of his roommate coming home.

"Well Birdie" _No, not that again. If I blush over the phone when you call me that, what will I do when you are in front of me? _"I have to go now. See you later!"

"S-see you. Bye!"

That… was… the most awkward conversation he had ever had.

And they were roommates, they would have to see each other, and have conversations like that… pretty much every day.

He looked at the dog. It looked back and licked his owner's hand, as if he understood.

"I am screwed, aren't I?" he muttered.

But the dog just kept staring at him.

_Honestly, what was I expecting? Advice from a dog? Love really does make people crazy._

"Hey, let's be positive, at least I skipped the denial phase"

Once again, there was no answer whatsoever. Which was a good signal, really, along with the fact that none of them were floating. At least laws of Physics and Nature still worked, good pillars to lean on when the rest of your world seems to have gone completely mad.

**A/N: Okay, so it is getting pretty difficult to upload here. So maybe I can't add a new chapter weekly, but I will try. Anyway... I was re-reading the reviews today and... Yeah, "Satan's favorite porn writers" really suits us well.**

**... Aaaaand the list got reaaaally messed up. Last time I upload from a tablet. Corrected now.**

**Reviews are my Internet cookies!**


	7. I Won't Say I'm In Love

**A/N: So yeah, updates are not being as frequent and regular as I would want them to be (sorry sorry sorry) but fortunately next Wednesday I will be back home and writing again!**

**Meanwhile, thanks for putting up with me.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**I Won't Say I'm In Love**

"So, finally, did Arthur say yes?" Gilbert asked casually.

It was now lunch pause, and Francis and him were talking while the French ate and the other… well, inhaled the food.

_Fuck, Franny does know how to make up for the fights…_

"In fact, he did! Hopefully, everything will be settled for next week!" His eyes lit for a moment.

_Agh, love… _

"Does that mean that not only did I have to hear you fuck with him when we were roommates, but I will also have to hear you now that we're neighbors?"

"Will I have to hear you fuck with _your _boyfriend, Gil?" he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Oh no. Not this again. Somehow, Francis… and Antonio, a bit too, had come to the conclusion that he and Matthew were… going out together? Fucking? Or some kind of relationship which involved love.

Which, he wanted to make this point clear, he did _not_ feel and would never do.

_Ever._

"He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend!"

"…Yet." The other answered with a smirk.

_Will it ever get through their thick skulls that I will never fall in love?_

_And why does everybody seem to have a crush on the word "yet"?_

"What are you up to?"

Antonio came into view then, with that goofy smile he always wore after seeing, talking to, or even thinking about Lovino.

_If I ever, ever behave this foolish over somebody, please shoot me._

"Not much, just trying to get Gil out of denial"

Not even a second later, they were both looking at Gilbert, grinning like madmen.

"I am not in denial… because there is nothing to deny! He's my roommate, my friend, and that's it!" he said, albeit a bit high-pitched to sound casual.

He saw Francis sigh, and Antonio put a hand on his shoulder. Oh, so they were going to put the _'we're disappointed, son' _stunt on him. It lost its power on him the moment he started to memorize the scheme, and even some of the dialogs.

_They should have been actors. They love drama too much._

"Gilbert?"

"What?"

_They are trying to trick you… don't fall for anything. Keep alert. Keep alert._

But his friends were wearing the most innocent expression, and almost looked genuely exasperated when they said:

"Come on."

"Please"

"We know each other for… how long, Tonio?" the French asked, as if it was just curious.

But they all knew it was just an excuse for the other to answer:

"Enough time to know when you're lying"

_Uh-oh. They're finishing each other's sentences. Lecture time incoming._

"Like that time when you said you were not jealous of your little brother for getting laid before you did" Antonio said.

_Hey! I was not!_

"I was not! He was just lucky!"

He was. Not everybody had someone pinning after them since Middle School, after all.

"Or when you said you didn't cry with Titanic" Francis finished.

And, for your information, he didn't cry. He didn't…

He was just allergic to sad moments, okay?

"I didn't" although it sounded false even to his own ears.

"For real, Gil? For real?"

Okay, he had to be honest to that.

"… Maybe I did. A bit"

_Okay, they tricked you with this, don't fall again. This is the mock one, to make you feel like you've already confessed the worst and there is nothing else to fear! Keep alert. Keep alert!_

"And anyway, how many times have you been in a relationship?" the spainard asked, only to quickly add "…And marrying a girl in recess in Middle School doesn't count"

And there went his only card in the game.

"Shit"

"That's it. I'm getting married and Franny here is living with his boyfriend... Hey! Kinda like you do! Hehehe"

Francis scolded him a bit, saying they were going off the topic… but it was far too easy.

_I think I know where this is going…_

_Paternal tone. Keep alert. Don't let them put the paternal tone on you, the 'We know more than you do, kid?' Tone._

"Anyway, don't you think we know a bit more about relationships than you do?"

_And theeeeeeere it went._

"No, you don't. Because you are all sappy, and _'I love you so much',_ and puking rainbows. Love is not getting all lovey-dovey but doing nothing. Love must be proved, not said"

"Yeah? So you think you would do better than _us?" _

He should have been suspicious to the Cheshire grin that came along with the sentence, but calling for his ego blinded him too much for his own good.

"Of course I would! First of all, I would call Matthew every chance I had. Like, now, for example, instead of wasting my time trying to convince my friend that he has unawesomely fallen in love. Next, I would watch hockey with him everyday, even if I have no idea what it is about. I would take care of him when he's sick, or depressed, instead of coming here like you guys do. I would…"

And he went on and on, wandering about how good of a boyfriend he would be to Matthew, nearly all of the things in the list being ones that he already did, completely ignoring the smirks that seemed permanently plastered on his friends' faces.

"Should we tell him already?"

"No, let him realize by himself…"

It still took him a couple of minutes. Then, something clicked in his mind, followed by a quick _'fuck!'_

"Hey! I don't know how, but you tricked me into looking like I am already having a relationship with Birdie!"

He instantly covered his mouth. No, he didn't say that last word. Or, if he did, they didn't hear. Because then, well, if he had actually called the person he was so fervently denying was not his boyfriend by that teasing nickname that could so easily be misunderstood…

If he had wanted to prove a point…

And if his friends already had a smirk on their face, now it was so bright that he was afraid of getting sunburnt.

"Birdie?" they both asked at the same time.

"It is worse than I thought…"

"And I thought '_petit lapin' _was sappy enough…"

And even if they tried to look disappointed, they still could not hide the devilish smirk that seemed plastered in their face. They were enjoying themselves, _the bastards._

_To future me: Next time, shut the fuck up._

"Awwww… look at him. He's blushing!"

He was not. He was not. His cheeks were just feeling hot because of… because of… because the office was hot.

It was January and snowing outside, but still, the office was hot.

"Am not" he tried to defend himself.

But they wouldn't fall for that.

"You are!" they said, in a sing-song voice.

And he had the strange feeling that the teasing had just begun…

"You know guys? Screw you! I'm calling Mattie"

It took him a second to fully understand what he had just said, and the effect it could have on the topic he was so fervently trying to deny. So he instantly added:

"TO CHECK ON HIM. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT _FRIENDS_ DO"

And he stormed out of the room, trying to maintain the little dignity he still had. Antonio and Francis watched him go, still incapable of containing their excitement.

Now that they were alone, Francis patted his friend on the back and said:

"Boy, you owe me some money…"

But Antonio was not one to admit defeat easily.

"Okay, double or nothing. I say Matthew's the one to take the first step, because even if he gets out of denial, which I sincerely doubt he would, he would still be too blunt to take the hint, and too much of a coward to confess."

"Still trying to save it, don't you? Will you ever surrender?"

"Never. I will go down with this ship"

They remained silent for a little while, until they heard the faint voice of their friend, talking on the phone.

_"Yeah, in fact I have a meeting soon. But let's see if I can pass the buck to someone else and get home earlier."_

And they smiled, much like parents seeing their small child's advances.

"You know, he's a fool" Francis said.

"Yeah, but he's _our _fool" Antonio added, and they both sighed.

"Since when are we in charge of his love life?"

"Since he obviously can't do it himself?"

"True that… _Birdie"_

They tried to be serious, but it was just too good. They burst out laughing.

"God, I'm gonna tease him with that until it stops being hilarious"

"It will never stop being hilarious"

"That's the point"

"_Oh Birdie…" _Francis sighed, batting his eyelashes.

They had the right to tease him about this. The guy had been making fun of them in all their relationships, saying _'that's so gay'_, although, well, it obviously was, and saying he was too awesome to put nicknames.

And then he went and called his roommate _'Birdie'_

Come on.

"And he has the balls to call _us _sappy?"

* * *

"Sorry Bird…" He stopped himself, Antonio and Francis were by his side at the meeting room door, after all.

"Mattie," he corrected, and looked at his friends smugly. "I can't make it. I have to attend the meeting. I probably won't be there for dinner either."

"Well, don't worry. I will probably stay awake, so see you later." He heard the faint voice of his friend say. Something was a little bit off, though.

"Are you sure you are okay? I mean, I could always…"

_He doesn't sound okay. He sounds… shier… than his usual shy. Which is still really shy, but not with me. Anyway, something's wrong. Should I fake something and go straight home?_

"Do you wanna risk your job? Worse yet, do you wanna watch _Pretty Woman?"_

_Uhh…. There, there. That was the fiery Matthew he knew. He was okay after all._

"Okay, okay. Let's calm down. I will stay, and I will work… are you sure?"

"See you, Gil."

"See you. Bye!" And he hung up, entering the meeting room and sitting in his chair.

"Oh, Mattie, my love, I can't be with you tonight" Francis mocked, still in that lovey-dovey tone that did _not _resemble Gilbert's when talking to Matthew.

"But I can't eat, I can't sleep if you aren't there with meeeee…" Antonio continued, in a high-pitched attempt at a Soap Opera voice.

"I'll be there soon, my love" But they couldn't keep the stunt for long. They had to burst out laughing out loud.

_Oh fuck, they don't get tired of this, do they?_

"Will you please shut up? Do I parody your relationships?" Gilbert asked, whispering. He had enough with those two, there was no need of the whole office knowing.

"Sooo… you admit it _is _a relationship"

_What did I tell you about shutting the fuck up, Gil? For the future me: trust my brain more._

"IT IS NOT!"

"It was you who said that, not me"

"I didn't! Stop playing with my mind!"

"Listen Gil… you had the time of your life teasing us when we were in denial with our respective boyfriends. Now it's our turn"

"And we will enjoy _every _second of it"

Worst part? He was sure of it.

"And just for you to know, even if Antonio lives on the other side of the city… I don't"

They were neighbors. And friends. And co-workers. There was no escape.

_I shouldn't have laughed so much when he met Arthur… or I should have teased him double, just to pay for this._

"Hey! That's not fair!" Antonio complained.

_Well, at least I have one less person to worry about…_

"Don't worry, I will call you if anything gets interesting…"

And Gilbert was sure he would. Because they were best friends, and best friends seemed not to have any respect for the other's privacy.

"Please do. I already have a few jokes up my sleeve… and I think Lovi would be really happy to know '_Potato Bastard #2' _is now even moré of a lovesick fool than I am…"

They were clearly having the time of their lives. And honestly, Gilbert would too, if the joke wasn't on him.

So, the only thing he could do was to move to the opposite side of the meeting table and sulk in the corner, all the while plotting his little revenge.

"If only this would last forever…" Francis sighed…

Then the meeting started, and their boss came into view, so Gilbert had to content himself with mouthing them a big 'fuck you' from across the table, and start pretending to be paying attention to the presentation.

_They are not right. I do not, by any means, have any kind of feelings towards Matthew except for friendship._

_I do not want him to be any more than my friend, and my roommate. Because if I did, which I don't, that would mean that I am in love. And I am not. _

_I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love._

Gilbert came home late, but he was still on time for dinner. So he thought he might as well order something, to make up for it. And, so, he opened the door, juggling between the keys, the Thai food, and the dog that was now running under his legs.

"Hey Birdie! I'm home, and I brought…"

And, what his eyes met was the most adorable, cute and angelic vision he had ever seen.

Matthew was on the couch, sleeping peacefully. He still had his glasses on, and the TV was still running, so he must have fallen asleep while watching one of the movies his brother had rented. His chest went up and down evenly, and his cheeks were a bit pink. He… even… was… smiling… in…his… sleep… and Gilbert couldn't… no, he couldn't resist…

_I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not…_

And so, he left the food on the table and searched for a blanket, because that's what _friends_ would do.

Finally finding one, he came back to the living room and approached him quietly, not to wake him up. He wrapped the other's body in the blanket gently, only to find Gilbird nested around the blond hair.

Okay, so maybe regular roommates wouldn't take that much care. But that's what _good roommates would do._

Except him. Because, had it been Antonio or Francis, he would have taken the drums out. Or, haha… he still remembered that time when Francis passed out after a party night, and they wrote all over his back.

It took him a whole month to discover why everybody smirked at him and told him that, indeed, they wanted to have a good time, asked if it wasn't a bit too expensive, and if the banana costume was also included in the price.

_College…_

He took the glasses off Matthew, trying not to wake him up, folded them and put them on the table. All the while trying not to… seriously trying not to…

But he just couldn't help it.

A kiss on Matthew's forehead.

Just a little peck. Just for a second. Just because he looked really cute.

No big deal. That didn't mean anything, much less that he was in love.

_I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love. I am not in love. Love is stupid. Love makes people stupid, and as I am not stupid, I am not in love._

_I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not in love. I am not…_

_Awwwwwwww… fuck._

…

…

…

_I am not in love… am I?_

**A/N: What a pair of hopeless fools. **

**Anyway, this plot is finally going places. Although, if I follow my first scheme, we have still a loooooong way to go.**

**Song from the movie Hercules.**

**Review!**


	8. There's Only One Way Down This Road

**A/N: Okay, so this was supposed to be uploaded yesterday... But I had spent like... 25 hours awake? And I was Jet Lagged as hell. The trip was really fun, but I didn't have much spare time. I missed writing a lot.**

**Anyway, here it is!**

**There's Only One Way Down This Road**

_I am not in love, am I?_

Gilbert sat on the armrest of the couch, seeing that Matthew had invaded the rest of it and not wanting to wake him up, but not wanting to go anywhere else either…

_Fuck! I really am!_

But he forced himself to calm down.

_Inspire. Expire. Inspire. Expire. Inspire…_

Okay, now. This issue needed to be taken seriously. He had just kissed his new roommate's forehead, who he had met not even three days ago, and he did it because he thought he was really cute sleeping, and he even had pink cheeks and everybody thought they liked each other, and would end up together at some point or another and…

_Okay, stay calm, stay calm._

_Let's get things clear:_

_Fist of all, what does 'Falling in love' mean?_

Hell, how was he supposed to know that? He had never done such a thing!

_Right. Next step, find someone who has fallen for somebody, and survived._

Oh, there was plenty of that. He was surrounded by romance. Antonio and Lovino, Francis and Arthur, and even his brother and Feliciano. He could ask any of them for advice.

Except he wouldn't, because that would be like admitting he was in love, and he wasn't having any of that, no sir.

And, as tempting as it sounded, he couldn't just ask random strangers in the streets... and Yahoo! Answers was simply not an option.

_So… what can we do now? I've already run out of ideas, bro._

Guess that meant going back to panicking and walking around in circles, then.

But Destiny, or rather, Gilbird, had better plans.

When Gilbert first heard the faint tweeting sound, he shrugged it off as nothing. But then, it continued, and seemed to get a bit louder, _angrier._

_Wait… can a bird be angry? Oh yeah, of course, if not, then what would 'Angry Birds' be about? Now that I think about it, I haven't played in a long time… guess I'll have to check it out someday. I can't remember my top score, though._

_Did I delete the game from my phone? And more importantly, why am I wondering this stuff when I clearly have bigger problems?_

Meanwhile, the tweeting kept getting louder and more impatient, until it made him come back to Earth.

When he looked, he saw that the little yellow chick was standing on a pile of boxes, one of those who were yet to be placed.

_Why is he…?_

But then he came closer, and read the little post-it that went with them.

They were those containing his diaries. Or, well, his Memories. Pages and pages of stories worth a lifetime, written with journalistic accuracy and daily updated.

_That's it! That's the answer! I may not be able to ask my friends what love is about in person, but I still have the diaries of when they were, and I can read how they acted!_

_That's the most brilliant idea anyone could have ever come up with._

_I knew I did the right thing keeping him. Gilbird, you are awesome._

And so, he opened the boxes, and looked through the pages, searching for the exact moment Francis met Arthur, or Antonio met Lovino, or…

"Gilbert? Are you there?"

_Oh fuck. Oh fuck. He is awake._

_Quick, act normal!_

"Ehhh… yeah, I'm here! Hehehehehe!" he said, still in his room.

"Is this food yours?"

Ah, yes, the food. He had even forgotten about it.

And now he had to have dinner, and face Birdie, and…

"Yeah, I brought it coming from work."

"Wow… thanks"

And hell if it wasn't the cutest 'thanks' he had ever heard.

_Shit! Focus!_

So, after five minutes of psychological preparation, he came out of the room and entered the living room, where Matthew was still yawning a bit.

"I think I fell asleep while watching TV… But I can't recall having this blanket…"

_Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it Act like you didn't do it. Act like you didn't do it._

"Ah, yeah, that? I put it there. I thought maybe you were cold…"

_Do you ever listen to me? _His internal voice asked, although it was more than clear that he didn't.

And then he saw Matthew blushing, a faint pink now coloring his cheeks, and he heard him say, with that quiet voice of his:

"… Thanks"

_There it goes… he breaks his own record… now THAT's the cutest 'thanks' I've ever heard._

And it suddenly became too much.

He had to know what love was, and he had to do it quick, because he was really starting to believe that he had fallen for Mattie, and that was not okay because… well, because that would mean he had fallen for Mattie, and he had to know what Francis and Antonio did when they fell in love, just so he could finally say 'hey, this isn't love after all' and return to his normal life.

This. Was. Not. Normal.

And he knew it.

"Birdie?" he started, in the most casual tone he could muster.

"Yeah?"

"I will be going to my bedroom soon… I have a few things that I want to put in place before going to sleep, I just can't stand seeing the boxes there"

Which was not completely true, but was not completely a lie, either. And that way, he didn't feel as bad as he would have…

_Since when do I feel bad for lying to my friends? This is worse than I thought…_

"Do you want me to help you?"

"No no, I can do it myself. Well, I better go now, I really want to finish this."

"Good night, Gilbert" Matthew said, seeing Gilbert disappear into the hallway.

"Good night… Birdie"

And they both thanked God they were in separate rooms by then, because none of them wanted the other to see them blushing, let alone with that betraying, goofy smile.

After spending the whole night awake, remembering the good times and the not-so-good times, and reading though a lifetime, Gilbert finally managed to summarize all the stupid things his friends made into one little list, and as the Signals of the Apocalypse were seven, and him falling him love clearly meant the End of the World, he wrote down his own seven signals, the seven little details he should be aware of.

He then kept it in his wallet, hoping that he would never feel the need to take it out and read it, or... well, or cross any of them out. It was nearly impossible, because all of them were obvious things, big steps that could never be misunderstood, and he was never, ever going to do any of them.

That was the theory, at least.

* * *

**1. The chair.**

_It was simple: on their table of their favorite bar, there had been three chairs first: one for Antonio, one for Francis and one for Gilbert._

_Then, one day, Antonio got one for Lovino too. A bit later, a fifth one appeared, for Arthur. And everybody knew how those ended._

_So, as long as Matthew didn't have a permanent chair in their bar, he was fine._

It happened that same Saturday.

Matthew was still a bit off, and Gilbert had really wanted to cheer him up. So _hey, _he thought, _why don't we meet up with the guys and I show him the gang? I'm sure he will love it…_

So, they got dressed, and Gilbert dragged him to the bar. He found all of them sitting on their usual table, with the usual five chairs: The initial ones, those for Francis, Gilbert and Antonio, and then the extra added ones, which differed a bit in color (they were newer, after all), one for Lovino next to Antonio's, and the other one, for Arthur, next to Francis'.

"Hey!" they greeted, as they saw them enter.

"Guys, this is Matthew. Matthew, these are the boys."

And he started with the presentations, one by one. Once again, Antonio…but especially Francis, had that grin on their face.

_Why are they smiling? Something's wrong, isn't it?_

But he had no more time to wonder about it, because this time Lovino intervened.

"You seem like such a nice guy… why are you with _him?"_

And he pointed directly at the albino. Matthew blushed a bit then, and Gilbert thought _I know I really promised myself I wouldn't think of him as cute, but come on…_

They were just about to answer that no, they weren't actually together when…

"Lovi, asking people why they are with their partners is not a nice thing to ask…"

"Hey, why not? I ask myself the same question everyday…"

And they all laughed.

The Canadian threw a glance at his roommate.

_Does he really mean it?_

But Gilbert just shook his head, and pointed his head slightly at the Italian's hands. They were holding Antonio's.

_Oh, so he is one of those…_

"Oh, don't mind him, _cher. _He does that with everybody…"

"Yeah, but really, we are not together or anything, we're just friends…" Matthew tried to explain, but then the other blonde… Arthur? Looked at him with a defeated look and sighed:

"Yeah, we all said that at some point or another."

"Oh, those were the days" Lovino commented, bitterly. "_No, I will never, ever end up with him, _and _Why would I even consider dating this bastard?"_

"We were so innocent back then…"

But Antonio cut it short:

"Play nice! Don't scare the poor kid off! Anyway, Matthew, come on and take a seat."

Gilbert was halfway to his usual seat when he noticed:

"Hey… There are only five chairs."

What he failed to notice, however, was the mischievous look the rest of them shared, and the little whispers of '_told you'._

"Yeah, and all the others seem taken…" Matthew mumbled, already searching through the crowded room.

"Nevermind, stay here. I'll go ask one to Oliver" Gilbert said, already leaving the table.

"Oliver is the bartender" Arthur explained, "Poor guy has had to suffer these guys since they moved here. They have even become friends…"

"So you can imagine the time we spend here."

Matthew couldn't help but laugh.

_Yeah, it looks so… Gilbert_

Said man came back five minutes later, with a new chair.

It was not the faded green color Antonio's, Francis' and his was… it was brighter, like Lovino's and Arthur's.

_Why was the Oliver laughing too? Where's the joke?_

He didn't think about it much, he just placed the chair next to his, and became engrossed in the conversation they were currently having.

Needless to say, the chair never left.

And only two weeks later, when Gilbert was paying for a bagel after work, did he find the list inside his wallet, and realize what he had done.

_Those... those… Now I know why everybody was laughing so much…_

And so, grudgingly, he crossed out the first point of the list.

**2. Speed Dial**

_In Gilbert's opinion, the numbers in the 'Speed dial' of one's cell phone reflected said person's relationships, and their importance. They were even ranked by the number they were put on._

_For example, Gilbert had Antonio and Francis as his 2 and 3, respectively, and so did they. Number 4 was his brother, 5 was his childhood friend, Elizabeta, and number 6 corresponded to Domino's Pizza… he was often too lazy to cook, okay?_

_The thing is, number 1 had always been empty. When they made the deal, they all agreed it wouldn't be fair for any of them to be each other's number 1, and leave the other as the second. So, they all promised to leave number 1 empty, because there was no one worth being first in their heart, much less in their phone._

_This time, Francis had been first to break the promise. Then, not a week later, and once he finally managed to convince Lovino to give him his number, Antonio did too._

_So, as long as Gilbert didn't make Matthew number 1 in his Speed dial, he would be fine._

It took him two weeks to set it, and one more to realize.

"Do you know where they are? We said we would meet here right after work!"

It was a special night, although Gilbert couldn't exactly remember why. What he knew, though, was that they had risked their asses getting out of work earlier, just to meet the rest of them at the bar and finally go to… wherever it was, to celebrate… whatever it was anyway.

"Francis… what are we celebrat-" He asked, but was cut short.

"And Arthur doesn't answer the phone…"

"Neither does Lovi…"

It was freezing outside, and it had even started snowing at some point, so they were more than impatient.

"I'll call Mattie, see where he is and if he knows anything…"

He pressed one, and 'dial'.

"Hey Matt… where are you?"

And after a bit of talk, to which neither Antonio nor Francis paid much attention, Gilbert hung up, and just said:

"He said he's on his way. Something about a traffic jam, or something"

But that was not the important part there.

"Wow Gil… you do dial fast, don't you?" Francis said, almost casually.

Antonio shoot a glare at his friend.

_Oh come on, that's really obvious, he will not fall for that._

But he just smirked.

_Wait and see…_

"Kesese… I know I'm awesome, but not _that_ much. I have him in speed dial"

_See? Works every time._

"So, you finally replaced pizza guy?"

"No, pizza guy is in his place, as usual… As the rest of you, I've not changed the order"

"So where is he?"

_Will he finally…? Because it's pretty clear. If he doesn't connect the dots now, then I have some bad news for him… and even worse for poor Matthew._

"I just put him under number 1… aw fuck, wait a minute. Antonio, who's your number 1?"

Ah. How sweet it was, seeing the friend that had laughed so much when they were in denial, being in denial himself… Now that was ironic.

Ironic, and pretty funny too.

"Lovino, you already know that"

"No. No no no no. Francis, for God's sake, please tell me your number one isn't…"

And Francis swears he tried, but still, he couldn't help the smirk that came along with the response.

"Oh, you know he is…"

_Oh come on, there is still a chance for this. It can also be his boss, his father, his cat… even if de doesn't have one, and cats don't have cell phones… It could still be…_

"It is…?"

"I think you already know the answer."

"But I want to hear it"

"Arthur"

"SHIT!"

And seeing their friend getting so worked up over something so simple, so inevitable as it was falling in love, well, it made them realize how much of a helpless fool Gilbert was, and how desperately he needed their help with all this.

And they would surely help him, he was their best friend after all.

But… they also deserved a little fun, didn't they? Gilbert had surely enjoyed himself when they had tried to figure their own heart out, didn't he?

"So, what does it feel being in love, Gil?"

"Oh shut up! I'm changing this right now!"

"You know it's too late. It is done now. You are not fooling anybody, bro. Don't lie to yourself."

And Gilbert knew that, deep inside, they were right.

So, even if he cursed himself all the while, he had to open the list and cross the second one out.

_Already two out of seven, and it hasn't even been a month yet…_

_Way to go, Gilbert, way to go…_

**A/N: Okay, so now that I'm home again and I have nothing better to do, I think I will start making up the lost time with this story. My idea is to make this last as long as I originally intended to, and also to finish this before summer ends. So, don't trust me on this, but I will probably update twice a week, if not more. I have a lot of projects I would really like to work on, including some ideas I started but was too shy to publish here. So yeah, expect much more of this, and much sooner.**

**I think... I guess... I hope.**

**Title is part of the lyrics from Time Bomb (All Time Low)**

**Anyway, as usual... Honk if you liked it! And if you are not a car, review!**


	9. There's Only One Way Down This Road (II)

**A/N: Okay, so I think I forgot to mention this, but there will be major time-skips in here. That's kind of the point of this mini-drabbles, really. I want to keep it flowing, months and months of history, capturing just a few snapshots.**

**… And, now that I think of it, this should have been explained in the previous chapter. Weeeeell… my fault, sorry.**

**Anyway, this is the second of the three chapters of mini-stories, then it will be back to normal again. I promise.**

**So, here it is, the second part of the list. Enjoy!**

**There's Only One Way Down This Road (II)**

**3. The Biggest Fan**

_This one came as more than a surprise. _

_One day, and for no apparent reason, there was a foreign object in the living room, beside the TV. Everybody knew what it was, and everybody had their own suspicions as to who brought it, but no one dared to speak about it out loud. It was their own personal 'Elephant in the room', the topic no one dared to speak about... _

_… And yet, one day, someone broke the ice._

_"Hey Gil… I knew you were a whovian, but I didn't know you liked it THAT much…" Antonio said, pointing the giant Dalek now adorning the living room._

_It was big, it was metallic, and it was clearly expensive. And… it was a Dalek. You had to be a GREAT fan to have that thingy occupying half of your living room._

_"What? You know I have my own figure in my bedroom! I thought it was you!" Gilbert pointed at him._

_"No way! You know my favorite villains are cybermen! I would never… Wait, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't me, then…"_

_Without looking at them in the eye, the third man in the room whispered:_

_"It was me."_

_"Phew! I was just about to say that it was real, and alive, ready to exterminate us! Wait…WHAT?"_

_"But you hate that show!"_

_Francis just sighed._

_"I do! I can't get past the first episode! But… Arthur…seems…to…like it"_

_Gilbert just stared at him dumbfounded, because first of all: who would hate that show? It was awesome! And second: why the hell would you pretend to be a fan of something you hate?_

_But Antonio just patted him on the back, and smiled._

_"Well, at least you don't have to pretend to like Sex and the City. Dr. Who has 7 seasons, plus the classical ones… Sex and the City has 6, plus an awful lot of movies you reaaally don't want to watch"_

_So, Gilbert thought while writing it down on the list, never buy a Dalek figure, or put up with 6 seasons of a show you hate just to impress Matthew._

_Seems easy enough, doesn't it?_

This one, it took him completely off guard.

It didn't look that terrific. Weeks passed and nothing dangerous seemed to happen. Quite the contrary, really. Much to his joy, he discovered that they shared the same TV taste. It was funny commenting the good movies. And making fun of the bad ones. Yeah, especially that last part. God, he came up with such hilarious comments… it was better than the movie itself.

… Not that those movies were any good, to start with.

Anyway, everything seemed to be fine. Until…

"Hey! They're making a Lord of the Rings marathon!"

As soon as Gilbert heard the TV ad, he checked for all possible escape routes.

Oh, not this, not this again.

There were _three_ movies. _Three _friggin' movies, and none of them short. He had hoped, he had prayed this moment would never come. Matthew had seemed so promising…

_Hey, calm down, calm down. He may not be interested in…_

"I'm making popcorn! Gilbert, do you want to watch it with me?"

And he had asked with _such a sweet voice… Maybe they are not so bad, after all._

_No! Stay strong!_

"Ehh… Uhhh… Truth to be told, I have never seen them…"

Later he discovered that was the worst of all answers.

"What? Why? How? Oh My God, you're seeing them with me!"

And he did.

He initially tried to pay attention… but it only worked with the first movie. When the opening scene from the second one started, he was bored out of his mind.

Then, he thought, might as well fall asleep. And it was like a miracle… until halfway through it, when Matthew looked at him with those eyes, and whispered:

"Hey… are you okay? Don't you like it? You know, you can go if you want..."

What was he supposed to say to that?

So, he tried to follow the plot again. But it was too late anyway, and there were too many new characters which he didn't care even the slightest bit about.

Using the excuse of the bathroom and making dinner, he managed to buy a little more time, until the last one (finally!) started.

For the rest of it, well, he just sat there motionless, just watching his roommate watch the film. It was far cuter, and far more entertaining.

And… somehow, it finally ended. The urge to jump, scream, shout and cry with joy was suddenly overwhelming. But, instead, he just yawned and stretched his arms out.

_They should include this as a torture method… _

And then, there it was again. That look of utter delight on his friend's face. Those violet eyes that suddenly lit up. That little smile on his lips…

"Did you like it? It's great, eh?"

Then again, what was he supposed to say to that?

"I loved it. Do you want to rent _The Hobbit?"_

And the fake smile that came along with that line didn't leave him until he went to bed, found the list in his wallet, on the nightstand, and crossed the third point out.

At that moment, it suddenly dropped, and a single thought crossed his mind:

_Brain, I am so going to kill you…_

* * *

**4. Up all night**

_It was a Sunday morning, and a clicking sound echoed through the house. A few seconds later, Francis appeared by the door, and as soon as he entered, he threw himself on the couch, looking exhausted._

_And that, obviously, drew the attention from his roommates, who had been peacefully watching TV a minute before._

_"Wow… you didn't come home yesterday night, after your date with Arthur… You show up now, with the same clothes as yesterday… and you don't look like you've slept much… did you finally…?" Antonio asked, and that earnt him a bitter laugh from the French._

_"Ha! You wish! I slept with him… but I didn't sleep with him. We went on the date, then came to his house… and it became too late to call for a taxi. So, there I was, stuck in his apartment, and he only had one bed…"_

_"I know that feel, bro…"_

_But Gilbert didn't `know that feel´. If they didn't do anything… then why did he stay awake?_

_However, he put it on the list, sensing that it was a rather important point and, well, he'd discover what it meant on the go._

It took him just one night to figure it out.

It was a really special night, however. It was Valentine's Day. The first 14th of February since they moved together… and also the first 14th of February after Matthews' breakup, his first Valentines alone. It was not a big deal for him, just another normal day.

… Or, at least, that's how he acted when Gilbert was around. Which, more or less, covered the whole 24 hours of the day.

But, when he finally went to bed, and that day more than ever, he discovered how empty his bed was. He still had the double bed in which Carlos and he used to sleep, and that thought brought back memories he had hoped were long since forgotten.

Of course, there was an obvious answer to that, but was embarrassing as hell. He would not sink that low. He was not _that_ desperate.

But, on the other hand… And it was Gilbert, after all… He had always wondered how it would be to… However, it was still too awkward. He was not doing that. Period.

Five minutes later, he was softly knocking his roommate's bedroom door.

_Okay, if he doesn't answer in 3 seconds, that must mean he's asleep and hasn't heard me, and I'm turning around and pretending this never happened._

_In 3…_

_2…_

_1…_

Then, suddenly, a very sleepy (and very naked, much to Matthew's embarrasment and secret delight) Gilbert was opening the door, and looking at him with half closed eyes and a pained expression at the sudden burst of light.

"Was?"

_Shit._

_"_Ehh… Gil… I know this might sound weird, but…"

At that, his roommate just threw him a sleepy smile.

"Oh, you know who I've been roommates with. Nothing coming at 2 AM can sound weird to me anymore"

_Oh, trust me on this…_

"Okay… Well… You know, today is Valentine's Day…"

"Technically, it ended two hours ago. So, if you wake me up to confess me your undying love you're a little late, and you should know I'm not in the best of moods this early in the morning."

Fortunately for Matthew, and unfortunately for him, he failed to miss the violent blush that covered the blonde's cheeks after that comment, mostly because he was still asleep. Had he been fully awake and in his right mind, he wouldn't have dared to do that comment in the first place.

But it was 2 AM. Only drunks, children and sleepy people tell the truth.

"N-no no, it's not that. I… I mean, it's my first Valentines alone, and the bed is too big, and…"

_There it goes. Now or never._

"Go in, then. Make yourself at home. More like… make yourself in bed? I'm too sleepy for this. Just get inside."

That was honestly not the answer Matthew had been expecting.

He was initially thinking of a sleepover. Yes, it was childish and embarrassing to ask, but would make him forget his lack of love-life just tonight. And Gilbert was always bragging of being a party animal, so he had always wondered how it would be. Still, it was too awkward to ask.

But awkward didn't even begin to describe actually _sleeping_ with him. And not even in the dirty sense. That was not what he had originally planned.

But Gilbert was already in bed by then, and it seemed that he didn't have any other option. So he struggled to get inside, this one being a single bed, and found himself trapped between the edge of the bed, where he didn't want to fall from, and Gilbert's warm closeness, where he didn't want to fall into.

Finally, he managed to fall asleep, much closer to the latter than to the former.

And then, just then, feeling Matthew's body against his, curling up with him, making those cute little noises in his sleep… Gilbert discovered why neither Antonio nor Francis had been able to catch sleep.

It was no wonder; really, you had to have your brain fully alert and occupied.

_Don't touch him… Don't pet his hair… Don't think dirty things…_

_Don't think dirty… Don't think dirty… Focus on other things instead, like how the hell did you mange to be way more than halfway through the list already?_

_No, really… OhMyGod he's coming closer… and doing that cute 'mmm' noise again… Donotthinkdirty donotthinkdirty donot…_

* * *

**5. Your Song**

_There are a certain number of times one can listen to a song in a row without getting mad, or punching someone. That number gets maximized if you're the one who has the iPod in 'repeat' mode, and minimized if you are the poor soul that just happens to be roommates with said person. And if not only do you have to hear the song, but you also have to hear them singing, well…_

_"I'm going to kill you one of these days!" A cry echoed through the walls of his bedroom, quickly followed by a loud banging on the door._

_"Not if I do it first!" Another voice joined. "Hey Franny, how do you suggest we hide the body?"_

_"We've seen too much CSI, I am sure we'll come up with something"_

_"It would be far easier to think if the goddamn music would just SHUT UP!"_

_Antonio then turned the volume down, peeked trough the door and whispered:_

_"You know, guys… One day, one day I'll find someone who likes Celine Dion as much as I do. And when I find that person, be sure I will marry him."_

_He did. _

_Francis just had suspicions about that, but was more than enough for him._

_And what about him? Well, he just hoped Matthew didn't like…_

"You're kidding me, right?"

Gilbert had just turned on the radio, and like magic, his roommate had appeared trough the door. Now he was just standing behind him, frozen in place, looking at him expectantly.

Which was kind of the whole point of it, really. That's why he had pulled a disc from his favorite band, out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Except there _was_ a reason. To measure the other's reaction to it. That way, that way he could end, once and for all, this whole 'list' thing. One mistake, just one failure, one band that they did not agree on, and everything would fall apart. He would be free from this 'love' course.

And this time, this time he was sure he had found it.

_Now or never. The test. Let's face this before it faces me._

"You don't like Bon Jovi?"

_Oh, that's just too bad. Because, well… it happens to be my favorite group._

Gilbert smiled triumphantly… but it may have been just too soon. Because Matthew just looked at him for a few seconds, then just sighed and said:

"I just don't like that song"

_Yeah, well, I know it's not their best, not my personal favorite at least, but well…_

"_We Weren't Born To Follow? _Why? It's one of their most popular ones!"

_There is still hope, isn't there? Please, tell me you don't like the group, or the genre, and that will be all._

"That's the reason! It's their newer stuff! Old School is always better!"

_Yeah, I know right? Wait, we are not supposed to agree! _

_Tell me we don't, tell me we don't…_

"What do you mean 'Old School'?" he tried to sound casual, but failed miserably. However, Matthew didn't notice, and if he did, he just shrugged it off as nothing and didn't give it a second thought.

Instead, he began inspecting the shelves, muttering:

"Ohhh… just give me a second."

He took an old-looking CD case out of the top shelf, and after inspecting it, he smiled and put it on the player, changing between tracks, until the first notes of 'Bad Medicine' started playing.

"Now that's more like it" and he looked at him, as if waiting for an answer.

But it never came. Gilbert was too busy trying to process the information, and the decreasing levels of hope he still tried to maintain.

_This can't be possible…_

"What? You don't like this one?"

_ How can you ask me if I like it? Of course I do! That's the problem!_

"It's my favorite one" he answered quietly.

And then Matthew just gave him that _damn cute little smile, and the whole world just seemed to brighten up, and this couldn't be real because none of his friends shared his musical taste, and just the one that he had prayed never would came, and…_

"Mine too. Care if I sing it?"

_... And why the hell was he resisting, if this battle was already lost. _

So he smiled back, turned the volume up, and asked:

"Care if I sing along?"

_Love, you may have won the battle… you may have won 5 battles, but you haven't won the war. I still have two left._

_And I will bring out the big guns. I will not lose to you…_

_I will never, ever fall in love._

**A/N: Forgot to tell you, but rating is going up up up next chapter! No biggie, really, don't expect too much, it will be really just to be safe.**

**And this list is a pain in the ass to write. I soo want to get over it…**

**Did I mention that I love Dr. Who? And LOTR? Anyway, review!**


	10. There's Only One Way Down This Road(III)

**A/N: Wow... you guys are really amazing... more than 70 reviews already... and those ones that reviewed _every single chapter... _I think all of you have really won the Internet. No, really, reviews are a writer's fuel. And you make me want to keep uploading and posting, even all those ideas I was too shy to post in the past... I have no words for you.**

**Finally, this is the end of the list. Will Gilbert finally get out of denial and realize he has been in love the whole time? Because I am getting pretty desperate myself...**

**There's Only One Way Down This Road (III)**

"It's been almost six months already…" Matthew said, out of the blue, while they were both peacefully sitting on the sofa, watching some random TV show none of them paid attention to.

"Yeah, time does fly…"

"No, I mean… It's been six months and he hasn't even bothered to get his things back…"

It was true. Winter had long since faded, spring had come, and the boxes still were in the corner, by the door. But they had learned to just walk by, acknowledge their presence but never make any comments of them.

They both stayed silent for a while, but then Gilbert added:

"Hey, I could always ask Francis and Arthur to keep them in their apartment, you know… That way, you wouldn't have to deal with him if he comes to get them back…"

"Don't worry, It's been a long time. I think I can handle it." He was still not entirely sure... but he wasn't about to tell Gilbert that.

"Better yet, if he calls in advance we could invite Arthur, and Francis, and Lovino and Antonio, and pretty much every boy we know… I could even ask my brother to come!"

Gilbert seemed pretty excited about all that, and, as much as Matthew knew it was better not to ask, curiosity took the best out of him.

"Why?"

"Oh, come on. Think of how cool you'd look if he opened the door, expecting you to be all down and depressed, and instead finds out your house is full of hot, semi-naked men. It would look like you got a harem!"

_ I don't know why I didn't see that one coming._

"Sometimes I wonder where you get your ideas from…" he sighed, although he knew he wouldn't be able to hide his smile.

"Think about it! It would be so awesome! I'm all in! Just think of the look on his face when he realizes he has lost…"

Matthew had to stop his rambling at that.

"This is a breakup, not a match. No one wins." He stated.

"You found me, of course you won."

_And you don't even begin to understand how much._

_Still… it would be pretty weird if he appeared in this exact moment, now that we had just talked about him…_

But they still had to wait two weeks for that. In the exact 6 month anniversary, there was a ringing in the door.

It was Gilbert who answered first. He looked through the peephole, stopped for a few seconds, and then began stripping.

Matthew, who was now by the door too, was torn between asking… or taking a better look All the questions flew out of the window, however, when he heard Gilbert, now just in his boxers, ask:

"Mess my hair. Make it look like I just had sex"

That really took him by surprise.

"What?"

"Y'know, make it messy. I want it to look like I just had several rounds of rough, mind-blowing sex"

And Matthew really did _not_ want to picture his crush after sex, or before sex, or, well, _during sex, especially if I'm taking part in it too…_

"You're taking too long, I'll do it myself"

And, after ruffling his hair, he finally opened the door.

"Sorry, we do not want any encyclopedias, or candy from your scouts group, or pretty much anything you want to sell us. And if you excuse us, we were just in the middle of…" He answered lazily, not even looking at the stranger.

_Wait, when did he change his voice tone? Why? What's happening?_

"No no… I think you are being mistaken. I am not selling anything. I am Carlos… is Matthew here?"

_Ah. So that was it._

Then Gilbert decided to drop his façade.

"Listen bro… I think _you_ are the one being mistaken. You appear here, 6 months later, and you still expect to-"

"Don't worry Gil. I think I can handle it."

And he replaced Gilbert by the door, looking at his ex-fiancé for the first time in months.

"What do you want?" he asked dryly.

"Just… to talk."

"Okay. I'm here. Talk"

"Listen, I know what I did was not right. But… I have been thinking about you since, and I really want us to get back together."

_Did he honestly expect a response to that? _Gilbert thought.

Matthew, on the other hand, was staring in awe. Something inside him was telling, no, yelling him that what he did was unforgivable, and should by no means give him another opportunity. But still, there was that little voice in his head, asking if he would ever find someone who loved him.

Gilbert? He was up there, in the sky… He just had hope about their love story. But Carlos was there, was real, and _what if I never find someone else? What if this is as good as it gets? What if this is my last opportunity?_

"Sooo… what do you think?"

He had no time to answer, however, because instantly a strong arm was holding him tightly around his waist, pulling him closer to its owner's body.

"HEY, LISTEN HERE, DOUCHE. You had your opportunity, you fucked up, and hey, guess what? HE HAS MOVED ON! Honestly, you disappeared for six fucking months and still expect him to be pinning after you? He should have had a entire harem for him!"

_He hasn't still forgotten the idea… _Matthew managed to think. Which was quite hard, actually, feeling Gilbert's naked body against his back, feel his now quick breathing, how tense his muscles now were, his scent filling his nostrils…

But, most of all, it was the feeling of those strong arms, surrounding him, claiming him…

_He is protecting me… Oh God, am I so much of a damsel in distress? Does he really feel the need to protect me from all evil, like I was some sort of precious creature? Do I mean so much to him?_

_Hell, why am I complaining?_

"And who are you to say that?" there was a sudden change in his ex's voice. Where he had been all sweet and apologetic, now there was a harsh tone.

"I am what you were, but then ruined. HIS BOYFRIEND."

Okay, so maybe he had made that up a bit… but he needed to get his point clear.

"G-gil…" Matthew tried to speak, but cut himself short when he heard his roommate coming closer to his ear.

To anyone else, it would have looked if Gilbert was nipping his ear, just showing how much the other belonged to him. But to Matthew, it was more than that. It was a hidden whisper, barely audible.

_Trust me, _he had said, and Matthew did. _No matter what I say, or how I act, you are the one deciding. But I can't let him blind you.__  
_

Both males stared at each other for a long while, and Matthew found himself trapped between their death glares. He could practically smell the testosterone filling the room. They both had that primal, aggresive pose, ready to attack...

_They look like two tigers claiming over a prize..._

"I'm just saying this once, and I want to make myself clear:"

He pulled Matthew's body even closer, if possible, and looked at Carlos in the eye.

"He. Is. Mine" he said with a possessive growl.

And then the door was slammed shut in Carlos's face.

Matthew, who was by now panting slightly, needed a whole two minutes to recover before he dared to look at Gilbert again.

"What… what was that?"

_Okay, I know what it was. The hottest, sexiest thing that has happened to me so far. I'm even wondering if this is a dream, because if it is, please do not wake me up. And now that I think about it, if this isn't a dream, then it will be one. Soon. _

"Kesesese… sorry if I scared you, Birdie, but I had to put on the show. You know me, I'm usually not like that... but he gets on my nerves so much... I don't want that asshole showing up at random times, thinking he has a chance, or something"

_Because he doesn't, rght?_

_ I saw it in you eyes. You were honestly thinking about getting back with him. Even if you know he will hurt you. Even if you know you deserve more._

_But I can't stand seeing you hurt, Mattie… and I will do everything I can to avoid it, to make you happy. _

"But… why?"

"Simple: because… _you are mine" _He smirked, then disappeared through the hallway.

And, as much as his friend thought otherwise, he did not left the room for the dramatic effect, no, he just needed to go to his room to check one thing.

_Getting overprotective over him… Getting overprotective over him… No, it's not on the list… But it has to count, right?_

* * *

**6. Cold showers.**

_One could know when someone had a crush on someone in their college apartment by the amount of cold showers that were taken that month._

_When Antonio first met Lovino, midnight showers became usual, after waking up from some… not so innocent dream, and as a way to solve the little problem that came along with them. Francis, on the other hand, was more fond of the after-date cold showers, so the rest of them could guess how the date went without even having to ask._

_Gilbert liked his showers boiling hot. And, as long as they stayed like that, he would be fine…_

"Gil, what the hell have you done to the shower? It's freezing!"

Gilbert had just stepped out of the shower. He was drying his hair, still in his towel, when Matthew had appeared and claimed said shower.

So, Gilbert, being the gentleman he was (absolutely not to avoid seeing his friend with little clothing) he had immediately gotten out of the room, and was in his way to his bedroom when he heard the other's voice, slightly fainted by the walls, and the sound of the water falling.

"Sorry, I turned the hot water off, and forgot to turn it on again"

But hey, it was not his fault, he had too many things on his mind at the same time, the most difficult of them trying hard not to think of Matthew naked in his bed, or Matthew with just an apron on, or Matthew in the shower, _with those __little drops of water running through his naked body, travelling across that pale chest, that waist I have never had the opportunity to properly admire, all the way to his…_

_Focus!_

"Seriously, I don't know how you can stand this…"

_I can't. But there's no other option. _

_If you knew…_

_"_Well, they say it's good for your skin, and I have to take care of this marvelous body of mine"

_Talking about marvelous bodies… I have always wondered how yours would be…I want to kiss you senseless, and see if those lips taste like I suspect they do… Will the rest of your body taste like that? I would nib and suck, all over your neck and shoulders, until you are so tuned on you can't stand it anymore, and you would practically force me to discover if you really _taste_ as delicious as you look… _

_Brain… you know you are not helping, do you?_

"Someday I guess I will have to ask you to join me here, and see how a _real_ shower feels like…"

_Birdie… you are not helping either._

_Not that I would mind joining you, of course. I would be a nice boy… at first, gently offering to help you. I would pour some soap on my hand, and start rubbing all over your back… then I would expand all over your body… being more thorough with some areas than with others, to be honest…_

_In the end, I would have you all needy and messy, just asking me to please, please do something, and do it quick…_

_And hell yeah I would do something._

_I would have you pinned against the wall in less than seconds, the water still running through our bodies and steam enveloping us..._

"Mattie…" he knocked softly on the door.

"Yeah?"

"Have you finished yet?"

"Ehh… give me a second…" he heard the sound of the water turning off "Yup, I am ready…why?"

Gilbert looked at his pants.

"I think I need to use the shower"

"Again?"

_Please, tell me this will end soon…_

He sighed.

"…Again"

* * *

**7. No one ditches Soccer Night.**

_Ever since they first met. They used to watch all the matches in their shared dorm in college, cheer for their own teams… and the ones they knew the other hated. It was one of the main things that made them bond so much, and become such great friends. Then, they moved to NY, and found a nice bar who broadcasted all European soccer matches. And they didn't miss any single one of them._

_But life went along, and it was harder and harder to find a time in which they all had the time. So, another rule was established. Once a year, the tradition would be renewed._

_And absence was absolutely not permitted._

_Nevermind if it was a final, or just a regular match. It didn't even matter the teams that they were supposed to cheer, or who they played against. All of them must be treated like the final of the World Cup, like their whole life was at stake. It was Soccer Night, and it was sacred._

_The rule was always obeyed religiously. Except, once, the night Lovino had gotten two tickets for the stadium, and thought that maybe… maybe Antonio was interested. Not like he had bought them thinking about him, or… God forbid, thought about this as their first date, or anything of the sort._

_Then, the second time the rule was broken, Francis didn't appear, and for no apparent reason. Which earned him a scowl, and bad looks when he entered his apartment. But then he smirked, and showed the Union Jack themed boxers in his pocket. And that seemed enough of a permit for them, so they let it go._

_But Gilbert? That was a whole other deal. Soccer Night was big words. If he ever dared to even think about ditching a soccer match, nevermind the reason… no, he couldn't even think of it. It was inconceivable. The mere thought made him laugh. There was no way in Hell…_

"Gil! We're late!" They were two hours early, but still, Matthew was panicking. They had managed to get tickets for a hockey game, and he would finally be able to show Gilbert how great it was. But his friend refused to get dressed, and there was no way they could make it in time. Again, 'in time' being two hours early, but he had every right to be panicking, mind you.

_He looks really cute like that..._

Matthew entered Gilber's room, just to find him looking at the phone and smiling.

So he just stood there, waiting for an explanation as to why they weren't on their way already.

Gilbert just smiled at him and showed him the message.

"It's Tonio. He says there's a match on between Spain and France, and wants me to take party … Spain has won the Eurocup and the World Cup… but lost the Confederations Cup… hmmm… I reeeeally want to piss off Tonio, but I don't think I would bet for the French team…" he smiled.

"But didn't Lovino have the night shift tonight? Will he be able to make it?"

"That's the point, Birdie. It's the tradition. No boyfriends, no brothers… just the three of us. Like the good old times."

Matthew sighed. He could tell, by the way his roommate's eyes had lit, that it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a night like that. And he hadn't forgotten the way they met, and why Gilbert had been feeling so miserable at that time.

_He hasn't had much days like this, with his friends being in committed relationships and all that… I bet he has been really looking forward to this…_

_But we already had plans for tonight…_

He sighed.

"Oh… Well, I know soccer is really important for you, so…"

"Important? It is a religion. But then again, so is hockey for you, isn't it?"

Matthew tried to shrug it off.

"Yeah, but this match is no big deal, really. No one's winning the Olympic medal because of this… And I could watch it alone, too..."

_Not like watching it with you was the whole point of all this, or anything..._

"We have already bought the tickets, and I know you have been pretty excited about it the whole week…" _Or, well, the whole month…_

"T-that's not true…"

Gilbert just raised an eyebrow at him

_"_ You made me wake up today at 6AM because you thought we were late. And the match is at night." He smiled at the other's blush.

"I'm feeling bad now… I know it's a tradition between you guys.."

"In fact, I was looking forward to the hockey match, really. You seem really infatuated with it… And soccer isn't going anywhere. There's at least one match every week."

And, before Matthew could argue with him more, he typed out the response

"_Sorry… but I already have plans with Matt. I guess I will have to ditch Soccer Night this time.."_

It still took a whole two minutes for it to sink in.

_I guess I will have to ditch Soccer Night…_

_Soccer isn't going anywhere. There's a match once a week..._

_Ditch Soccer Night…_

_Soccer isn't going anywhere..._

_Soccer Night…_

He looked at the phone. Then at Matthew. Then back at the phone. Then back at Matthew.

Had he really done what he thought he had done?

HE HAD DITCHED SOCCER NIGHT! He had… just… said no to one of the few opportunities he had to be with his friends. And a soccer match, no less! Six months ago, he would have _killed_ for something like this. And now… now he was going to a hockey (Hockey!) match instead…

… And he had no regrets about it.

_What the hell have you done to me, Birdie?_

Still, not until he heard the buzzing sound of his cellphone did he find the energy to react.

He checked out the new message. It was from Antonio again. And it confirmed what he already suspected.

"_You truly are in love… aren't you?"_

And he snapped.

"Matt… I have to go now… I think I have to… to…"

_To hell. I am in no mood to find any coherent excuse._

And he left the house, running away for the second time in his life, and with that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach that just screamed _déjà vu._

**A/N: Do I have to remind you it's Gilbert we're talking about? He likes to see us fans suffer...**

**Anyway, I think that if we all shout at the same time, and loud enough, he might even get a clue!**

**But come on! No one does that to soccer night! At least, I wouldn't.**

**Reviews make our adorable fool be more adorable, and less of a fool!**


	11. With My Heart On Your Sleeve

**You Walk Around With My Heart On Your Sleeve**

Once again, Gilbert found himself with his feet on the same ground, with his eyes staring at the same skyline, with his face getting slammed by the same wind…

_No, it's not the same wind. It can never be the same. The air I faced that night is long since gone. It has moved on. And so did I… well, at least that's what I liked to think. But seems that, deep inside, I haven't changed a bit._

_The situation may be completely different now, but I am still the same idiot afraid of change._

The change in the atmosphere was noticeable, as well. Where there had been a dark night, he could see the sun setting now. More than six months from winter, the air was no longer cold and merciless, but rather warm.

And yet, that only made him realize just _how much_ everything had changed, and how much everything would still change.

He still had the list inside his wallet. He took it out, and let it wave in the summer breeze.

_Not like this is going to be useful from now on…_

He broke it into pieces, and threw them out, watching the wind carry them away.

_I promised myself I would never fall for anyone… I swore I would never let any person be my weakness… This was never supposed to happen…_

…_But why does it feel so… right?_

Because, let's face it, he had fallen for Matthew. Hard. He had crossed the point of no return long ago. And now, he was stuck with feelings he had no idea how to deal with, on the rooftop of his own building, with the person he most cared about (no point in denying it now) probably worried, disappointed and or/upset with him.

_You've spent your whole life turning people down, running away from any form of commitment… if only they could see you now…_

He sighed.

He had no clue how to act around Matthew from now on. Being friends was one thing, but having a crush… And he would have to see him on a day-to-day basis… They were roommates!

_I need advice._

_I need help._

* * *

"So, what's the matter?"

"I think I am in love"

It was a nice evening, and Francis and him were drinking beer at their usual bar. Gilbert had sent him a message that same morning asking to meet him, claiming that he had a huge problem and needed advice.

Francis, of course, had shrugged it off as nothing, and thought that his friend just needed a bit of attention. And, as he was his friend, he came, and pretended that he actually bought the 'we need to talk' stunt.

But that… that was unexpected. Who are we kidding? If in that exact moment, Chuck Norris himself entered that door, and started dancing Tango in a wedding dress, that would be the _second_ most astonishing thing happening in the bar.

"What?" he said, unable to process the information.

"I said… I think I am in love"

Seeing no response to that, _man, he hasn't even blinked… and is he even breathing? _He felt the urge to clarify:

"I said I think. I miiiiight be in love, okay? There's nothing sure… I mean, I know I said I would never fall in love, but… And I am still as awesome as always, I don't want to ruin you everything you believe in, or anything, y'know? Because…"

Gilbert did not work well under pressure. Whenever he felt nervous, he just started talking and talking, trying to fill the awkward silence with words and words that didn't usually make much sense. Yeah, he tended to panic.

Good thing his friend wasn't even listening. After a good five minutes just staring in awe, he just said:

"Okay… let me wrap my mind around this… you said you are in love?"

"I might be. Might. Keyword is 'might'."

"With Matthew?"

"No, with _you. _Take a fucking guess_"_

Francis rolled his eyes. Old habits never die, and Gilbert wasn't one to admit things easily.

"Can I take that as a 'yes', then?"

"NO! Well, kinda…maybe… yes."

Wow, that was quick.

_That boy must be a wizard. No one has ever made Gilbert act like this. I have known him since… forever, and the only times I've seen him blush were all related to him._

_He can't be human._

"Are you sure?"

And he still found himself surprised when he heard the barely inaudible '_yes'._

Okay, then.

He stood up in their table, and whistled.

By then, half of the bar was looking at them. Then, he yelled a quick '_listen!' _and a few more heads turned around.

When he felt like he had gathered enough of an audience, he started:

"HEY! GIL HAS FINALLY ADMITTED HIS FEELINGS! IT'S OFFICIAL, HE'S IN LOVE WITH MATTHEW!"

And he got an ovation. A fucking ovation. Applauses and everything.

"LOOK AT HIM! HE'S EVEN BLUSHING NOW!"

Gilbert just glared at him.

_I'm gonna kill him… _

"HEY GIL! IF MATTIE TURNS YOU DOWN, I'M HERE FOR YOU!" A voice from the other end called, and then a cat call echoed through the bar.

"OH, SHUT UP OLLIE!"

So now, apart from finding advice, and new friends, he also had to find another bar.

GREAT.

* * *

_Okay, okay, scratch that. Definitely not asking Francis for help. I can't believe I even considered the idea. The man has no idea what 'privacy' means._

_Who's next on the list? Ah, yeah, Antonio._

"So, what's the matter?"

"I think I am in love"

It was a nice evening, and Antonio and him were drinking beer at their usual bar. Gilbert had sent him a message that same morning asking to meet him, claiming that he had a huge problem and needed advice.

Antonio, of course, had shrugged it off as nothing, and thought that his friend just needed a bit of attention. And, as he was his friend, he came, and pretended that he actually bought the 'we need to talk' stunt.

But that… that was unexpected. Who are we kidding? If in that exact moment, Chuck Norris himself entered that door, and started dancing Tango in a wedding dress, that would be the _second_ most astonishing thing happening in the bar.

"What?" he said, nearly choking on the drink.

"I said… I think I am in love"

_Oh my God… it's happening…finally!_

"That's… that's…" he begun, but didn't seem to find the right words.

"I said I think. I miiiiight be in love, okay? There's noth-"

"Ah, yeah, 'brilliant'. That's the word I was looking for. That's… brilliant! You see, a friend of mine just happens to work at this _beautiful_ restaurant, really romantic, it usually is really crowded, but he could get you a table! And you could take Matt on a date there, and…"

At that point, Gilbert felt the need to cut him short.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. Who said anything about dates?"

Antonio, on the other hand, just snickered.

"Oh come on. Where are you going to tell him then? Just some random morning, you are listening to the radio, Bruno Mars pops out, singing 'Who cares? I think I wanna marry you' and you look at him like 'yeah, I think so too'. Come on, be a little classy"

"Marry him? M-marry him? Who the hell is talking about marriage?" Honestly, he was having a panick attack by now.

"Oh, it's obvious you're gonna marry him someday. Don't worry, I have the wedding planned as well. We can go to the countryside, one of those little white churches in New Hampshire (come on, it's not that far from here! Just a few hours!) or well, better not, I don't think they would celebrate a gay wedding in a Christian church, now that I think about it… Better yet! It can be by the sea! Oh, it's going to be wonderful!"

But his friend didn't seem to respond. He didn't even seem to be there at all.

"Hey Gilbert! Are you there dude?" Antonio asked, concerned .

And, after a good five minutes, his friend stammered:

"M-m-marriage!?"

He hadn't even come to terms with the fact that he was in love… and now they were talking about… marriage… and weddings… and…

"Yeah! That's the attitude! Of course you will get married! And then, buy a nice house in the suburbs, and who knows, maybe have kids! But first things first… you've got to woo him. I don't think that will be difficult, though, the kid _adores_ you, but either way, you've got to put an effort on it. I'm thinking about new clothes for you, and… did you buy him anything last Valentine's? Of course you didn't, because you're that much of an idiot. Anyway, making up for it is easy. You just have to…"

And it took him another half an hour of non-stop rambling to discover that Gilbert wasn't even listening, mostly because he had fainted after the word 'kids', and had been unconscious ever since.

* * *

_I'm having a heart attack just thinking about it… Antonio is out of the list too. He tends to overreact, and that's the last thing I need._

_So… no Tonio and no Francis… who else?_

_Let's check my contacts…_

_Matt? No. Just no._

_West? I think figuring out his own love life was enough for him. How could he be so… oblivious? Not that I'm the one to talk, really. Ugh, I won't be able to make fun of him anymore… Love sucks._

_Pizza guy? I can't believe I'm even considering this…_

_Or well, maybe…What about…? It has been ages, but…_

_To hell with it, desperate times call for desperate measures._

He dialed. And waited.

And waited. And waited.

_Maybe they're not home… This wasn't such a great idea, after all. Maybe I should just-_

"Hello?" He heard a voice ask.

"Liz?"

Elizabeta had been his best friend since they were in school, and they had kept in touch since. In fact, she was of the most worried for him not falling in love all the way through High School, she had tried to hook him up with nearly everybody she knew, but to no avail.

_She is going to be so happy when I tell her…_

"Oh My God! Gilbert! Long time no see! What's up?"

_I don't think I can do this. I will just shrug it off really quickly and hope she doesn't notice._

"Oh, not that much really… Except I have fallen in love and I have no fucking clue how to handle it and my life is a fucking mess right now… Anyway, how's Roderich?"

"Whooooa. Wait wait wait. What was that?" she asked, and Gilbert instantly knew she hadn't bought it. There was one last try…

"But it's no big deal, really…" he begun, only to be cut short.

"Okay. Say it, then"

"I think…" _Whatever, I'm way past this now…_ "I _am sure_ I have fallen in love. And it sucks."

There was no sound coming from the other end for a good five minutes. Then, all of sudden, came a low menacing voice.

"If this is a joke then I swear I'm going to fucking kill you… And it won't be quick, it won't be painless…" Of course, was he thinking _she_ of all people would take him seriously on this matter?

"I swear it. I'm dead serious."

"No. Way" she breathed.

"Yes way. And it is HORRIBLE!"

_I can't believe you guys have been bearing with it all this time!_

"No it's not! It's beautiful!"

"Yeah? How can it be beautiful, when all it does is make your brain a fucking mess, and stutter, and act like an idiot, and…"

"But what about when you are with that person, and suddenly everything seems to be alright, and the world just looks brighter, and… " She started with a dreamy voice, only for Gilbert to quickly state:

"I'm puking rainbows now"

"Wait… do you have time to talk? Where are you?"

"On top of a building" he answered quickly, not thinking it could be completely misunderstood.

"Don't tell me you're even thinking of-"

"No idiot! I just came here because I ran away from him! We're roommates and we were going to a hockey match now.."

_Uh-oh. I shouldn't have said that last bit…_

"You did WHAT?"

"I… ran away"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

"Because I can't face him! My heart gets… funny… and I feel… stuff…"

_I can't trust myself! I will probably end up looking like a complete fool in front of him! Worst part, I AM a fool!_

She sighed.

"Oh God… Okay, listen to this: I will be in the City next week for work. How about we meet up and sort all this out… because you obviously need help. Mental help too, but that's another business."

"Next week? But I need help facing him NOW!"

"Oh come on… just… try to keep it cool okay? Try not to be an idiot."

"But… but…" he begun.

"Well… I gotta go. Bye!"

_Fat lot of good this has been…_

He ran his fingers through his hair.

_Okay, I can go down there and pretend nothing happened… Talk to him like I'm not madly in love with him or anything of the sort… just keep it cool and act normally… Yeah, that's what normal people would do…_

… _Or I can hide here for a week until Liz comes to the rescue…_

But then, all hopes he could have had on the latter plan just flew out of the window, because he heard a faint voice calling him… a voice he could recognize _anywhere._

A voice that made his heart skip a beat.

"G-Gilbert?"

"Birdie?" he asked.

_He's here. He's here. Act cool. Act cool._

_Fuck! I forgot how to breathe!_

"Is everything okay?" Matthew asked him, sitting beside him.

"How did you know I was here?"

Matthew smiled.

"Oh, I know you…"

_Yeah, and that's what worries me most… _

Silence fell for a little while, until Gilbert felt a hand on his shoulder and a quiet voice begun, merely a whisper:

"Listen, we've already talked about this. If you really don't want to go to the match it's okay…"

_And he's blaming himself again. Is it bad that I want to hug him now, tell him it's not his fault? __Kiss him on the forehead and tell him he's perfect just the way he is?_

_...Since when have I become so soft?_

"No, it has nothing to do with that. It's just…" but he just couldn't find the right words to express himself.

His friend came closer to him.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Matthew asked.

"Yes…"

"Really, I'll be here anytime…"

And all this was becoming a bit too deep for Gilbert's taste, so he quickly started thinking of

another topic to change to.

_Ah! Hockey!_

"We're still in time for the match?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so… We would have to run a little, but…" And what did that have to do with anything, anyway?

"What are we doing here then?" Gilbert stood up, and Matthew had no other option but to follow him.

_I guess he doesn't like to talk about his feelings…_

* * *

"Matt… if we win, do I get to have victory sex?" the albino asked casually, once they found their seats, and his friend/ crush was now explaining him exactly _which_ team they were supposed to cheer, and why.

"… Yes" Matthew answered, not even thinking it.

Because, if he had, then he obviously wouldn't have dared to say something like that. His face became a dark shade of red when he realized what he had done, and was already expecting his friend to burst out laughing like he always did, and top it off with an even bigger innuendo.

But he was surprised to find Gilbert silent, and… was that a blush what he saw on the other's cheeks?

**A/N: Okay, so we're hitting 100 reviews soon! I have never had **_**that **_**many… wow, this is crazy. Anyway, the point is, I want to make it special.**

**So, the 100****th**** reviewer gets a drabble! Because writing is one of the few things I think I am remotely good at!**

**You get to choose the pairing, although I have to say I'm more comfortable writing PruCan, FrUk, Spamano or RusAme.**

**And thanks to all of you who have been reviewing so far!**


	12. Maybe It's Not My Weekend

**A/N: Oh God I'm sorry, I know it has been over a month since the last update, but I just got the weirdest mid-story writer's block crisis, and plus I haven't had much time to sit down and write. But what I did, though, was the one-shot for the 100****th**** reviewer (which I assume you've already checked out but if you didn't, here it is: /s/9605724/1/Caution-Slippery-when-Appropriate )**

**Thanks for staying with this story!**

**I totally took the idea for this chapter from the HIMYM episode. Enjoy!**

**Maybe It's Not My Weekend, But It's Gonna Be My Year**

Gilbert shifted in his seat and glanced at the phone clock for the umpteenth time.

The cafeteria was crowded, full of teenagers and college students with their phones and laptops.

_Leave it to Liz to meet up in Starbucks._

_Well, at least this way they won't be paying attention to us…_

This was not a conversation he had planned to have. This was not a conversation he _wanted_ to have… It was just a conversation he _needed_ to have. It had been a week, but it was the most awkward, horrible week he had ever experienced.

And, to top it off, she was late. He groaned, and let his mind wander off… which took him to the #1 Topic of the Week: Matthew.

But before he could curse his luck too much, Elizabeta finally came through the door.

"Okay," she said once she found the table "so you made come all the way from D.C, just because you're lovesick and too much of a fool to handle it… or even tell your best friends _and next-door neighbors…_ this better be good. Photo"

"What?"

"Oh, come on, I deserve to see a picture of her, at least!"

_Wait…her? Doesn't she know…?_

_She didn't notice… fuckfuckfuck. _

"It's not…" he mumbled "It's not a girl…"

She smiled warmly at him.

"Oh, dear, but if she's not a girl, that would mean…"

But then, the smile dropped. And she froze for a minute.

Then, the smile returned. But this time, it promised a painful death.

"AND YOU DIDN'T FUCKING TELL ME?" she yelled.

"I told you!" Gilbert complained.

"NO YOU DIDN'T! You think you could have gotten away with a bomb like this?"

"I told you I ran away from _him._ Him. A man._"_

"But at that time I was too worried with the fact that you ran away. That's playing dirty. You hide a bomb with an even bigger bomb. That's not how it works, honey."

They both stood in silence for a while.

Then, she whispered:

"So… You are gay… and in love with another man, am I right?"

_Do I really have to admit it… again? _Gilbert thought.

"…yes."

"Oh My God! So it's true after all! I… I can't… Oh come here!"

And she embraced him in a bear hug.

"You know how much I've waited for a moment like this to come? I spent _all_ High School trying to hook you up with girls, and when you rejected every single one of them my hopes went so up they crashed with the roof, and then I sent you all those photos of the cute guys from the magazines and you didn't even bat an eye…" At this point, she started sobbing "I nearly gave up a few times, you know? And then you went to college and I thought '_Here it comes' _but it didn't, and now you're in love and I'm sooooooo proud my little Gil has grown up…"

At this point, Gilbert just shook his head and stated:

"You get waaaay to invested in my love life"

"And you get waay to dethatched. Now I want a photo of the lucky bastard who has achieved in six months what I couldn't in four years. Photophotophotophoto."

"You're not going to settle for a 'no', aren't you? Ugh, whatever…"

And he took his phone out and showed his favorite to her, a picture they took in spring in Central Park.

Gilbert remembered the day well. It was one of the first sunny days of the year, and they met up after work. He had arrived first… and when he saw Matthew coming, smiling, bright as the day itself… he couldn't help but take a photo.

No one knew that photo existed. Not even Matthew.

If anyone asked, taking photos of your crush when he is not looking was corny as hell and he was too awesome to do such a thing.

"He's called Matthew Williams and, apart from gorgeous, he's nice, and funny, and…"

She shook her hands and squealed.

"He's so cute! It's like… ugh, I just want to hug him, and eat chocolate and cuddle under a blanket!"

To which Gilbert couldn't help but answer:

"I know, right!"

"And, you know, I'm sure he likes it dirty, if you know what I mean… Hey Gil don't get jealous, you know it's all yours… I can finally make jokes! You just gave me the best Christmas present ever… 7 months late! This is so awesome" and she hugged him again.

He sighed.

"No. Just no. Don't use 'awesome' to describe this situation. This is… this is…"

"An emotional rollercoaster? Madness? The worst… yet the best feeling in the world?"

"Yes" he sighed.

She smiled warmly at him.

"It's called love, honey, and it's a part of being alive"

Gilbert looked at her with eyes filled of desperation.

"But how do you handle this? I make a fool of myself whenever I'm with him… _yeah I said 'him', please stop smirking. _No, really, it is so hard to look like I'm not head over heels with him…"

"You don't have to hide it. That's… the whole point. Just grow a pair, and ask him already."

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO ASK HIM. THAT WOULD BE ADMITTING I'M IN LOVE!"

Elizabeta sighed.

_Still with that?_

"You are admitting it to me right now…"

"YEAH, BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME! THAT WOULD BE LIKE ADMITTING I'M WEAK!"

_Gil, you haven't changed a bit…_

"You are not 'weak' for being in love. You're… human"

"But what if he rejects me?" he asked. _Because, deep down, that's what I am most afraid of… I don't want to lose him too._

"You'll have to take a leap of faith"

After silence surrounded them, and sensing the depressing aura around his friend, Elizabeta patted him on the back, trying to cheer him up.

"Anyway, who on Earth would reject you? You're awesome!"

Gilbert smiled.

"Yeah… I am!"

_I am! I am too awesome to be worried about this! _

"But… speaking about coming clean… you've got to tell your friends too. You know you're a great friend and I love you… but they are here with you daily, they care a lot about you and are really worried. And plus, they know a lot about relationships and can really help you… if only you could swallow your pride once in a while…"

"Maybe you're right…"

"See? That's why I told them the whole story and call them here"

"YOU DID WHAT?"

She got her purse and took a giant banner out of it. She unfolded it and waved it at him, showing the word 'Intervention' written in big, red letters.

"This is… an intervention!"

Gilbert was left speechless, so Elizabeta felt the urge to add.

"Anyway, they should be here soon. They are busy with… another stuff. Now that I think about it… your apartment isn't far from here, is it?"

"Not really, just a few blocks, why?" He answered, confused.

"Don't move! I'll be back in a sec!" She said, and ran away.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" He asked as she left.

"I told you! Stuff!"

* * *

Matthew sighed.

It had been such a long shift at work… morning was the worst part.

Selling flowers to happy couples, people that wanted to surprise their significant other at work, weddings…

… or maybe it was just because his own love life was so inexistent, he paid more attention to all this.

Anyway, just a nice cup of… whatever now, and relax…

He opened his apartment door, mind already on the comfy sofa…

… Except, well, all the people who where now in the living room were not included in the plan.

"This is an intervention!" A choir of voices sang, and Matthew jumped.

_Arthur, Francis, Antonio, Lovino… what are they doing here? Alfred? IVAN?_

_NO, SERIOUSLY, WHAT?_

"What? What are you all doing here? How did you get in?"

"We have a spare key." Antonio said, grinning.

"Now, take a seat. We have a lot to talk about…" Francis said, and pointed at the couch.

But, just as he sat, the door rang.

"It's her" a voice said, sighing.

"But wasn't she supposed to be with Gilbert? I mean, we planned all this so it was synchronized, and we didn't have to worry about him randomly appearing or something…" another answered.

"Hi guys! I need the banner!" Elizabeta appeared on the doorway, grinning.

"You have another one. On your purse. It's right there." Francis pointed.

"Oh! Silly me… Well, now that I'm here, I just want to say hello to all of you and… Oh My God! It's him? He's even cuter in person!" She entered the room and hugged a dumbfounded Matthew.

"Really, what's happening here?"

"And he has such a cute voice! Hey kid, you're… Matthew, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Elizabeta, but you can call me Liz. I'm a friend of Gilbert's and I was just dying to meet you. Anyway, I gotta go. Have fun and don't scare him too much!"

And, just like that, she left.

When the door closed, Antonio sighed, and began:

"Okay, so now after this gratuitous interruption…"

"Can somebody please explain me what all this is about? You know, you're my friends and all, but why are you in my living room… and Alfred, really, I told you Gilbert and I are just roommates…"

His brother patted him on the back and smiled.

"Yeeeeeeah… that's why we came here."

Suddenly, they all dropped their smiles and looked at him in the eye.

_Why is everybody so serious all of sudden?_

"Listen, we know Gilbert can be really annoying sometimes"

"He's a bit narcissistic…"

"… has a huge ego…"

"… and no matter what he says, his jokes aren't funny."

"…At all"

_Nothing new… did you come here just to tell me how my crush is?_

"But… But…"

"… He is also a great person."

"He is really sweet when he wants to be"

"And he really cares about you"

"He would make you happy no matter what, and whatever he had to do, he would do it without blinking"

"What he came here to say is that… he would be the perfect boyfriend for you."

Matthew felt the urge to intervene at that.

"I know" he whispered.

"We know he has said he won't fall in love ever, but really, it's just a façade. We've seen the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him… and wait, what did you say?" Arthur continued, but cut short.

"I said 'I know'" Matthew repeated.

"What?"

"I know he is all of that. Both the bad things and the good ones. But, among all, I know that I would be really happy with him. That's… that's why I'm in love with him"

All eyes were on him then. He blushed.

"You are in love with him?" Francis asked.

"Yes"

"And you admit it?"

"Why wouldn't I? Isn't it obvious?"

"It is" they all said at once.

Matthew laughed.

_I knew I sucked at hiding my feelings… but I never knew I was THAT bad…_

"But… you admit it! And it hasn't even been 10 minutes!" Francis exclaimed.

"This saves us a lot of time then!" Antonio continued.

"We love you!" They both cheered.

"How long have you known?"

"… six months?"

"And what are you waiting for?"

"I don't think he loves me back, though…"

At that, Antonio quickly added:

"You know him. He's a hopeless fool. You have to take the first step"

Francis elboved him and whispered:

"Not gonna win, dude. Not gonna win…"

"Anyway, we've seen the way he looks at you, the way he acts around you… and he's a dork, but he's in love."

"Trust us."

And after a while of friendly chatting, they all got up and stretched.

"And, this has been soooo easy, thanks to you actually admitting your love, so we leave you… you've just come out of work, and you must be tired." The French said.

"And we've got the second part of the plan yet to make" someone whispered from the back of the crowd.

"Wait… what plan? What are you guys doing?" Matthew asked.

"Errr… stuff"

"Another silly intervention?" He smirked.

"Nope. Not at all."

And, as the last of them closed the door, a whisper could be heard.

"...Not at all"

**A/N: This chapter is mostly dialogue, as you can see, so it's a bit shorter than the others.**

**And it's been so long since I last wrote… Ugh, I'm sorry if it sucked.**

**Review!**


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